Accidents Can Happen
by Foamsatmouth
Summary: It only takes one tiny mistake to make your entire world come crumbling down. Raven learns this the hard way when something she didn't even know she felt comes rising to the surface. **I don't own any content relating to DC comic characters featured in this story nor do I own the artwork used for the cover nor do I own any musical lyrics used in this story, it's just a fanfic!**
1. One Little Sip

"This is stupid, Star. Why do I have to go to a party about something I don't even celebrate?"

"Friend Raven, it is a most joyous occasion celebrating love between friends! You _must_ come!"

Raven stared hard at her ever-cheerful alien friend. The orange skinned, red haired girl from Tamaran was staring at her with her usual green eyed happy/begging expression. Raven didn't want to go to the party and Starfire knew that but was determined to take her along anyways.

"Why, Star? Why on Earth or Azar would I celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"Please Raven, come join us." Starfire looked down at her friend with a pleading smile. "Our fellow Titans from across the whole of Earth are coming for the party, we should all be there."

Raven groaned. She hated crowds. And parties. And people, for that matter.

"Friend Beast Boy will be there too." Starfire said with a sly smile.

Raven arched an eyebrow. "He lives here. Of course he's going to be there, telling his horrible jokes, being louder than the entire party, and pestering me if I go."

"All the more reason to go!"

Raven stared even harder at her friend. "You're not going to leave me alone about this, are you?"

Starfire only smiled and shook her head.

An exasperated sigh escaped Raven's lips. "Fine, I'll go. But not for long. You know this isn't my kind of thing, Star."

The girl from Tamaran squealed with unbridled joy and flew at her friend, wrapping her in a crushing hug. Raven gasped for air when Starfire dropped her and flew out of her room to tell the other Titans that she had finally agreed to come to the party.

Raven closed her door and walked to her closet, frowning. _Do I even have anything to wear to parties?_

"Looks like the last of the Titans are here, bro. Go get Raven, she ain't backing out now!" Cyborg nudged his best friend hard in the ribs. Beast Boy scowled and rubbed his side.

"Dude, not so hard. And why do I have to go get her, she hates me. If I show up at the door she might slam it in my face!"

"Oh, quit whining and go get her, Grass Stain."

Beast Boy stuck his tongue out and left the room, pouting. Everyone was already chatting and joking around, since this was the first time that they'd all gotten together since the incident with the Brotherhood of Evil. That day, Beast Boy had rallied the handful of Titans that hadn't been captured by the Brotherhood and launched a surprise attack on the compound. The few of them had held off the villains just long enough for reinforcements to join the fray and bring the battle to a stalemate, which quickly tipped in the Titans favor when they freed the prisoners. It became a one sided battle very quickly. The Titans defeated the Brotherhood of Evil and froze all the ringleaders. Beast Boy remembered fondly of the joke he had made when The Brain was thrown into the freezing machine.

" _Look, brain-freeze!"_

It had been a few months since then and things had been different in the tower. The entire team had shown Beast Boy more respect than ever before. It had been a good feeling, but he was careful to not let it go to his head. He knew the whole ordeal had changed him and didn't deny it when asked about it. He found himself a bit more serious and calmer, though his mischievous side still peeked out when it came to a certain comrade of his.

He stopped outside of this very comrade's door, hesitant to knock. Raven and he weren't always on the best terms. She had yelled at him, hit him, thrown him in the bay, and mocked him more than a few times during their time together as Titans. But he always came back for more. He knew the reason why, though he would never have the courage to tell her.

He bit his lip and sucked on it for a moment. He would have to sneak away from the party without anyone noticing so that he could leave her present at her door. Last year he had left a box of her favorite incense, a burner shaped like a chandelier, and a bag of her favorite herbal tea. This year, he had gotten her a book that was at the top of her list (which he snuck into her room to read).

Beast Boy took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Hey Rae, everyone's here. You're still coming, right?"

The door slid open and his eyeballs almost popped out of his skull. Raven was wearing black jeans, a dark blue blouse with a black undershirt, and a pair of bluish-black Converse sneakers. She tilted her head and gave him a questioning look.

"S-s-sorry Rae, I wasn't expecting that." He stuttered, trying very hard to keep any and all feelings of amazement from surfacing in his mind. Raven was an empath and he had worked very hard at keeping how he felt about her from surfacing whenever she was around.

"What did I tell you about calling me Rae?" She said in her usual monotonous, yet cold, voice.

"Sorry Raven." Beast Boy said meekly. He turned and led the way to the common room, where the party was being held.

Raven looked her friend up and down, quietly marveled that he owned nice clothes. He too was wearing black jeans, but he had on a purple button up shirt with the top two buttons undone. The sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, revealing the black long sleeved UnderArmour shirt he was wearing under the button up. He had on his signature gloves and boots and his hair was a bit of a mess.

 _Does he ever take those off?_ She wondered. _Seriously, we needn't wear our uniforms to something this formal. Even Robin will be wearing something different._

She paused, suddenly realizing that she had actually _never_ seen her friend without his gloves and boots on. As she silently pondered if he had something to hide, they came upon the door to the common room. Beast Boy stopped and spoke to her without turning around.

"You gonna be okay with all these people?"

She noted the concern in his voice and walked up beside him to look him in the face. "You know I'll leave if it gets too much."

He gave her a small smile and nodded before walking through the opening door. "Okay Rae, just checking."

She stopped in the doorway, gazing curiously at his back. That was so unlike Beast Boy to be quiet and accept what she said that it unnerved her. But before she could stop him to see what's wrong, she was mobbed by the female Titans.

"Friend Raven, you came! You look so good in the jeans of denim!" Starfire squealed, bobbing up and down in the air in her blue shorts and shirt.

"Girl, how'd this happen? Did she blackmail you?" Bumblebee laughed.

Argent, Jinx, Pantha, and Kole all shared at a laugh at the idea of sweet and naïve Starfire blackmailing anyone. Raven rolled her eyes.

"No, but she wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Typical Star, eh?" Jinx smiled. "Long time, no see, huh Raven? How are you?"

"Same as usual. How are you and Wally?"

Jinx waved her to follow her through the crowd. They weaved their way through a couple dozen people and took a seat near the huge windows. Raven looked around, seeing so many of her friends wandering about, enjoying the time off. They were loud, but not as loud as Beast Boy on a typical day.

Jinx sighed. "To answer your question, we're doing pretty well. It's still weird to be on this side of the law but I'm getting the hang of it. And Wally is a ridiculous flirt, as usual."

Raven gave her villain-turned-hero friend a small smile. "From what I've heard, you're doing fine as a hero. And while Wally is almost as bad of a prankster as Beast Boy is, he's got a better head on his shoulders."

Jinx raised an eyebrow. "That's not what I heard."

Raven raised an eyebrow in turn.

"Word on the grapevine is that BB has grown up quite a bit since the incident with the Brotherhood of Evil. Like, he's calmed down a bit and stuff, taking things more seriously."

Raven pondered this for a moment. "That's true…but he's still Beast Boy. He still tells bad jokes, he still pesters me every day, and he's still loud."

Jinx stared at her old magical rival for a moment before turning her eyes to the crowd of people. Cyborg as chatting with the strange little fishman Tram, Starfire was very vividly explaining some Tamaran dish to Red Star (who looked both horrified and curious at the prospect of shoving zorka berries into the derriere of something called a smaqyu beast), Argent was arguing with Bumblebee about hair styling, Mas y Menos were talking to Pantha about God-knows-what (she didn't speak a lick of Spanish, afterall), Robin and Speedy were trading combat stories…

Raven too was looking at her friends. Kilowatt was looking through Robins' CD collection, Kole was trying to get Gnark to try a soda, Beast Boy and Aqualad were about to arm wrestle, Jerrico was signing to Herald a story of some sort, Hot Spot and Wildebeaste were chatting…

Her brow furrowed. Beast Boy can't beat Aqualad in an arm wrestling contest, he didn't have superstrength. She watched them, unaware that Jinx was watching her watch Beast Boy.

Beasty Boy and Aqualad were smack talking each other, as was their usual game.

"I'm gonna beat you into salmon patties and serve you up to Cy, Fish Sticks!"

"Ha! Big words coming from a sea louse like you!"

"You got no room to talk, dude. You look like a reject from a school of anchovies!"

Aqualad glared. "Anchovies! That one is too far. How about we make a bet?"

"You're on!" Beast Boy smiled, showing not only his jutting fang, but the rest in his mouth. "If I win, you gotta eat tofu for a month!"

His opponent grimaced, but didn't back down. "Fine! If I win you gotta ask a girl to dance tonight!"

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "How bad can that be?"

"You gotta ask Raven." Aqualad smiled darkly.

Beast Boy's eyes almost popped out of his skull. "Dude, are you trying to get me killed! She already hates me as it stands!"

"You chickening out, tofu brat?"

"NO WAY, YOU'RE ON!"

At that moment, Cyborg popped up and slammed his hand on the table. "ALRIGHT FOLKS, YOU HEARD'EM! WE GOT OURSELVES A DUEL! THE STAKES ARE SET AND THERE ARE NO RULES! BOTH COMBATANTS MAY USE ALL THE POWER AT THEIR DISPOSAL, BARRING DESTROYING THE TOWER. NOW….GOOOOOO!"

The boys, who had slammed their arms down and locked hands as Cyborg spoke, braced and started pushing against each other as soon as Cy said go. Aqualad almost slammed the smaller green Titan's hand into the table immediately, but then the changlings' arm began to shift from one animal to another.

With each shift, Aqualad's arm raised a bit more, higher and higher. When they reached the starting point, Aqualad looked into his opponents face and blinked in confusion. Beast Boys' eyes had faded out and a feral look was on his face. His arm shifted again and became much larger and then shifted twice more, now leaving him with a huge and hairy arm with claws. Aqualad looked into those feral eyes and couldn't suppress a shiver.

Sensing weakness, Beast Boy roared and slammed his opponents arm down through the table.

Aqualad bounced off the floor and sat up quickly, looking at his green friend in horror.

Beast Boy smiled at his Atlantian ally as his arm shifted back into its usual unimpressive self. The primal look in his eyes and face had faded back to the smarmy grin that stayed on Beast Boy's face.

"Dude…what the hell was that?" Aqualad said as Beast Boy helped him up.

"That was you losing a bet." Cyborg shook his head in amazement.

The cheers for Beast Boy vibrated the windows behind Ravens' head, making her wince at the volume. She went back to watching her friend, who was getting pats on the back like he was some kind of celebrity.

 _He really has changed…_

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought Raven's attention back to the area around her. She glanced at Jinx, who was grinning.

"You keep staring at Beast Boy like that and I'm gonna start thinking you're secretly into him." She laughed.

Raven couldn't keep the horrified expression off of her face. "By Azar, no! He's loud, annoying, his tofu is awful, and he's got to be the most immature person I've ever met!"

Jinx kept laughing. "So why can't you keep your eyes off of him?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking at him; I was watching them arm wrestle. Boys are so easily entertained it's ridiculous."

"Haha, ain't that the truth." Jinx started waving. "Over here! Grab one an extra one!"

Raven didn't bother asking who was coming, as the yellow speedster popped up almost immediately with three fair size cups of whatever punch was on the table. He handed one to Jinx and one to Raven, then plopped down next to his girlfriend.

Jinx sniffed the cup suspiciously. "What is this odd smell? Fruit punch and…raspberries?"

Kid Flash shrugged. "Dunno babe, I didn't make it."

She stared at him hard. "Did you roofie my drink, Wally West?"

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Nah, I value my life."

Raven stared hard at Kid Flash, well aware of his reputation for taking some pranks too far. She'd never been able to read his emotions though, it was always as if he was constantly milling through them as quickly as his powers let him move his body. Looking around, she saw that many of the people had cups of the odd drink, most half full. Beast Boy had just drained a cup and was refilling another as he joked with Cyborg and Robin about Aqualad eating tofu.

She took a tentative sip of the fruity drink. It wasn't unpleasant, just a little sweet for her liking. It left an odd aftertaste on her tongue that she couldn't shake but being around so many people made her uncomfortable and the cooling liquid calmed her nerves. Something was off though….

At this moment, Beast Boy wandered by. "Hey Wally, Jinx, how's it going?"

"Pretty good." Wally stretched out and propped his feet on the coffee table in front of him. "The fun should be starting any minute now."

"Oh really? Why's that?" Jinx asked him, suspicious.

"Cause everyone is finally starting to loosen up. Look at them." He waved his hand out to the many Titans, who were laughing and joking around even more.

Jinx however, knew something was up. Wally wouldn't look at her as he said any of it. It was the only way to tell when he was lying. "Wally West, what in the nine hells did you…"

The sound of a several hiccups came from her other side. The three teens turned at looked at Raven, who was staring intently at her empty cup as she hiccupped.

"My god, she sounds like a chipmunk." Jinx murmured.

Beast Boy cautiously sat down next to Raven as she continued to hiccup. "Hey Rae…are you okay?"

She pulled her attention away from the cup and looked at him wide eyed. When she spoke, it was a quiet voice, as if she was in awe. "Oh…hi Garfield…when did you get here?"

Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, looked his friend in the eyes and flinched. Her eyes were changing color constantly; Red, green, pink, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and several shades of each of those.

"Raven…are you okay?" He asked slowly.

She nodded and looked down into her cup, yellow eyed and still hiccupping. "I…I think there was alcohol in this."

Garfield, who had started to feel woozy several minutes before after two drinks but had assumed it was from using a partial transformation of the Beast, sat back against the couch. "Oh, that's great. That's just lovely. Are you telling me you can't handle alcohol?"

Raven shrank away from him, her eyes taking on a timid gray. "I-I'm sorry…I wasn't trying to bother you with it."

He shook his head, which only made him dizzier. "No no no, Rae, its fine, it's not your fault."

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course." He looked at her again. "Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded and looked away as her eyes shifted to a pinkish-purple. Garfield looked at her for a moment then shrugged. _I'll never understand her._

The Titans around him were beginning to show the effects of the alcohol. There was singing, dancing, and a lot more laughter than before going on. Starfire was dancing with Red Star while a jealous Robin stood to the side mumbling to himself. Argent was openly flirting with Hot Shot and Jerrico. Cyborg was looking at everyone oddly, as if he had no idea of what was going on. Beast Boy waved him over.

It took a minute to get past the small sea of bodies, but soon enough Cyborg stomped his way over and sat next to his friends.

"Dude, what the heck is going on?"

Cyborg shook his head. "I think someone spiked the fruit punch with some high grade alcohol 'cause it looks like everyone is drunk or on their way to being drunk. How ya holding up?"

Beast Boy grimaced. "This is pretty crappy. I thought being drunk was supposed to be fun, I just feel all wobbly and it's hard to think. I don't think I can shift either."

"That's probably cause your physiology, being mostly animal now." Cyborg shook his head again. "Don't let Raven have any, it'll probably…"

His words trailed off as Raven, still hiccupping, grabbed Beast Boy's cup and drained it. The four friends around her looked at her in surprise. She hiccupped for a moment before handing the cup back to its owner. She looked to him, teetering slightly.

"…wreck her system." Cyborg finished his sentence with a sigh. "Oh boy, this aint gonna end well."

Raven looked to Cyborg and gave him a big grin, her eyes pink again. "Hiya Cy!"

Before a bewildered Cyborg could reply, she turned to Beast Boy. "Oh, hi Garfield. When did you get here? Why do you have my cup?"

Garfield stammered, unable to reply as she once again took his cup. Upon seeing it empty, she frowned and held it out to him. "You pointy eared elf, you drank it all. Get me some more please?"

He gulped. "Uh, Rae, that's, uh, my…"

She leaned in close to him, looked him in the eyes with her purple eyes, and asked again. Her voice was as sweet as honey to him right now. "Please, Gar? I'm thirsty."

He nodded dumbly and hopped up and practically ran from the couch. Jinx and Cyborg looked at each other in amazement.

"What just happened?" Jinx whispered.

"I have no idea but something tells me I need to save this recording!"

Neither noticed that Kid Flash had vanished.

It didn't take Beast Boy long to return with another cup, which Raven took immediately. She drained half the cup within moments, then handed the cup back to him with a happy sigh. She was still hiccupping occasionally, but as she rocked from side to side the hiccups subsided. She was humming something that nobody could figure out as they sat around and chatted for a bit.

"Uhh…bro…what the heck?" Cyborg whispered after about fifteen minutes.

"I have no idea what's going on anymore, dude, so don't ask me!" A very shaken Beast Boy choked out. "She's drinking from my cup and humming and smiling and I'm trying not to be freaking out and…"

His eyes widened and his mouth was slack. Cyborg tilted his head a bit to look at Jinx, who was just as wide eyed. He leaned over and found that Raven was laying her head on Beast Boys' shoulder, still humming and pink eyed. This time, however, she caught the looks thrown her way.

"What? He's so warm." She gave them such a huge smile that they were beginning to question if this was Raven or not.

Cyborg laid a heavy hand on his best friends shoulder. "If was nice knowing you, BB. When she kills you in the morning, I'll be sure to throw out all your tofu."

Beast Boy's pleading for help was drowned out by someone singing loudly nearby. When it died off, there was a chorus of applause followed by demands of someone else to sing next. Raven giggled.

"He sounded like a bucket of squirrels being choked by a crab."

"Must have been Speedy or Aqualad then." Beast Boy shook his head then stopped as a stupid idea struck him. He turned to Raven. "Hey Raven, why don't you get up and sing for us?"

Her eyes shifted to orange. "That's stupid. How can anyone have fun singing?"

His eyebrow raised. "So you can't sing, okay."

Instantly her now crimson eyes split into four and she yelled at him. "ARE YOU SAYING YOU I CAN'T DO IT?!"

He shook his head as carefully as he could without falling over. "No no no no, I'm saying that if you don't want to you don't have to."

Green eyes glared at him now. "I can do it! I can do anything anyone else can do and kick their butt at it too!"

"So why don't you do it?"

Gray eyes now. "But what if they hate my singing? I'm terrible at it."

Beast Boy sighed and rubbed his head, resolving to never let Raven drink again. Regular Raven was hard enough to deal with at times; booze-fueled bi-polar Raven was proving to be both a blessing and a headache. "Look, Raven, they'll all like it. Not so much the singing but the fact that their friend, you, decided to sing for them."

He watched her eyes shift the full spectrum several times before settling on pink/gray. She spoke slowly. "Okay…I'll try it."

"Awesome. What are you gonna sing?"

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes shifting to full purple again. "I have a good idea…"

He waited for her to tell him, but she just smiled again and left the couch. Cyborg, who had gotten up moments before, handed the teetering teenage sorceress a microphone.

"You sure you wanna do this?" He asked her quietly.

Raven looked up to her brother-like friend, her eyes green once more. "If I don't do this now, I'll never be able to do it again."

"You're…uh…not gonna blow anything up, are you?"

Raven shook her head, her eyes shifting to yellow. "I think the alcohol has mostly disrupted my powers because of my physiology, since I'm half Azarathian human and half demon. With my powers disrupted, it's making all my emotions come bubbling to the surface. I can't stop them, so I'm just going to ride it out and deal with it when I sober up."

"Are you sure you just don't want to go back to your room then? Wouldn't it be…safer?"

The girl gazed off into the crowd, back the way she came, and murmured softly. "It's now or never, Vic."

He stared at her hard for a moment. None of the titans used each other's name unless it was something serious. "Raven…what are you gonna sing?"

She grabbed his arm and pulled him down to her height to whisper in his ear. He stood back up and looked at her in amazement. Her eyes were gray again and she looked frightened as she looked around to the Titans watching her, waiting for her to sing. Victor Stone, aka Cyborg, shook his head again and loaded the song onto the surround sound system via the wireless connection between it and himself. His little sister was about to do something very much unlike herself and he couldn't bring himself to stop it.

Raven pressed a glowing hand to her throat and cleared it. Her voice changed pitch twice before she settled on something that was considerably softer than her usual voice. She nodded to Cyborg, who started the music. The music started softly and Raven began to sway, her eyes half closed. And then she sang.

 _I was given wine_

 _We're feeling okay_

 _And quite all right_

 _You wash my tears away_

 _And make me wanna stay_

 _And bonfires lit up the shores_

 _Walk far far away_

 _To go beside you_

 _Is where I want to be_

 _Walk far far away_

 _To laugh, to love_

 _Days of roses and wine_

 _Drifting astray_

 _With your hand in mine_

 _You stroke my fears away_

 _And make me wanna stay_

 _And bonfires lit up the shores_

 _Walk far far away_

 _To go beside you_

 _Is where I want to be_

 _Walk far far away_

 _To laugh, to love_

The whole room was speechless as Raven wandering through the crowd, singing softly and clearly. Her eyes were closed now, but she didn't touch a single person as she weaved her way

 _Walk far far away_

 _Where to go and hide?_

 _We're going to the sea_

 _Walk far far away_

 _To laugh, to love_

 _And this is how it went;_

 _I am here to stay_

 _Roaring with the wind_

 _There's life within'_

 _This is what I give_

 _A circle is complete_

 _Another circle spins_

 _There's life within'_

 _Within'_

Beast Boy, Jinx, and a recently reappeared Kid Flash were watching Raven appear and disappear in the crowd as she sang and did some odd sort of incredibly graceful dance. Beast Boy had never seen her do anything like this before and it was incredibly unnerving and an amazing sight to see.

 _Hell, I didn't know she could sing!_ He thought to himself as she sang the last notes. To his surprise, she popped up in front of him, twirling. Mid twirl, she tossed the microphone into the crowd (it bounced of Wildebeasts's head).

But at the end of her twirl she climbed into his lap where she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

The sound of dozen gasps and cups falling and spilling was followed by a silence for profound that you could have heard a pin drop into an ocean of cotton balls.

"What the actual f-" Cyborg started say, but was interrupted by Argent as she shushed him.

Jinx, sitting next to the kissing teens, could hardly breathe. "My God, Raven…I was joking."

Her boyfriend pulled out her cellphone and snapped a quick picture.

Beast Boy was in heaven. The girl of his dreams was sitting in his lap locking lips with him. She pulled away and brushed her hair back from her smiling face, gazing at him with soft pinkish-purple eyes. "Happy Valentine's Day, Gar."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Rae." He choked out, still disbelieving what was happening.

"What's wrong?" She asked before kissing him again, her arms back around this neck.

"Absolutely nothing, Rae. I couldn't be happier." He smiled at her, his arms wrapping around her waist.

She giggled. "Awesome. You're my first kiss. You taste so sweet and smell like a forest. Its…intoxicating."

Beast Boy marveled at her giggle as she kissed him between her sentences. They were little kisses, soft and tender; almost shy, but willing at the same time. She tasted like licorice and smelled like lavender and old books.

 _This is too good to be true!_ Beast Boy's mind screamed at him.

After about ten minutes of more kissing, Raven stopped and put her forehead to his and sighed so happily that Beast Boy's heart almost exploded in the chest. Literally.

"I'm so glad I finally got to do this, I've been waiting a long time." She smiled at him, her eyes full purple now.

"You…uh…what?" He said distractedly as he looked around. Many of the Titans were still standing and staring at them, but others were whispering to each other and glancing at them.

Raven turned to see what he was looking at. She stiffened at the sight of the audience, her eyes splitting and turning crimson before she yelled, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT? GET BACK TO PARTYING!"

The crown scattered instantly and she turned back to him, pink eyed and wide smiles. "There, all gone!"

She scooted closer to him until she was practically sitting on his crotch. It was a genuine struggle for the green teenaged shapeshifter to keep his composure as she wiggled on top of him to get comfortable. However, she saw his face grimacing face and her eyes shifted to gray again as her own face dropped to a sad frown. "What is it? You don't want me here, do you? I can go away if you want, not bother you."

Beast Boy shook his head vigoursly (stupid thing to do with a booze filled head, he thought afterwards). "No no no, you're fine Raven, really. This is just…a slightly embarrassing way to sit together."

Her eyes shifted to pink yet again and she smiled. "Oh, thank Azar. I thought you hated me."

Still smiling, she pulled his head to her chest and smothered him in a hug.

Beast Boy whimpered. _Oh my god they're so soft and bigger than I thought! Do I feel a…wait, this is Raven! Keep it clean, keep it clean, keep it clean, keep it clean…._

Raven heard him whimper and released him from her hug, a questioning look in her eye.

Shaking his head, Beast Boy mumbled a quick lie. "You, uh, were pinching my ear…"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She leaned down and kissed him deeply once more before pulling away again. "Does that make it feel better?"

Garfield Mark Logan could only nod dumbly, his face flushed with embarrassment.

A voice rang out from the crowd behind them. "Will you two get a room already?!"

"YER JUST JEALOUS, YOU SCALY PUNK!" Raven roared back, then turned back to her companion. She suddenly froze, her face slowly turning crimson as the implication of what was said sank in. Beast Boy cleared his throat.

"He was kidding, Rae."

She nodded but couldn't maintain eye contact now. Her face didn't lose any of her blush and her eyes were shifting colors almost too rapidly to keep track of. Then she started trembling.

Beast Boy reached up, took her chin in his hand and guided her to look into his eyes. "Hey, Rae? I really don't understand what's going on with you right now and while this is amazing, I think that would be moving a bit too fast for my liking. So just put it out of your mind, okay?"

The young sorceress took several deep breaths before she nodded, her eyes shifting to their standard blue-gray. "Yeah, okay."

Her shoulders slumped a bit and she pressed a hand to her head. "You're right, this is moving too fast. I think I should go to bed."

"Alright. Want me to take you?"

"No, I'm fin-"

Raven had gotten up and taken a step towards the door when she teetered a little too hard to the side and almost fell over. Fortunately, Kid Flash appeared and caught her. He passed her off to Beast Boy, who had jumped up to help her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he wobbily led her to the door.

Someone snickered in the back. "These weebles are wobbling, let's see if they fall down!"

Beast Boy stopped and the door and threw a glare over his shoulder. "If I were you guys, I'd figure out who spiked the punch. When Raven sobers up, she's going to be _royally_ pissed."

The room quieted down as the two teenagers left.

"Uhh…shouldn't we stop them?" Asked Red Star. Several voices spoke out.

"Maybe."

"Probably."

"Yeah.

"Are we going to stop them?" He asked a bit more persistently, his brow furrowing.

"Maybe."

"Probably."

"Nah."

He shook his head. Robin looked to Starfire, who was apparently unaffected by the alcohol. It was probably because she had nine stomachs, but you could never tell with the orange skinned alien girl.

She caught his look and shrugged. "I'm sorry friend Robin, but I am not knowing of what to do right now. I'm happy that friend Raven finally expressed her feelings to Beast Boy, but I know that she will be most upset when she does this 'sobering up' that Beast Boy spoke of."

Robin started forward to follow his friends when Cyborg stepped in front of him.

"Let me make sure the Grass Stain don't do anything stupid, iight Rob?" He said, looking to his team leader. "You're looking a bit wobbly right now."

"Why aren't you affected?"

"Half of my digestive system is machine. Alcohol doesn't work on me at all." Cy chuckled. "I'll be back in a few minutes with Green Bean."

Cy stomped after his friends. It took him a few minutes to reach the hall that had Raven's room. He peeked around the corner and spotted the two teens making out again in front of her door. He shook his head. _He better get what smoochin' he can tonight, 'cause she'll kill him in the morning._

He watched them separate and Raven walked in her room. But before the door closed, she stuck her head back out.

"Hey Gar…thank you. You don't know how much it means to me…"

Beast Boy put a gloved finger on her lips and smiled softly. "It's alright Rae. It's not easy for you and I understand that. That's half the reason why I try so hard every day to get you to come out of your shell, even if it's just a little bit. You deserve to be happy, you know. And…I want to see you smiling…always."

Raven was crimson faced again and Beast Boy was pretty red too. It did not mix well with his green complexion. Her door slid shut slow and silent. Beast Boy sighed and turned away from the door, the happiness he felt oozing from every iota of his being.

Cyborg couldn't help but chuckle as he rounded the corner. "Alright lover boy, let's get back to the party."

His friend laughed. "You're right Cy, we should get back."

"I want you to know that I'm proud of you, bro. It took a real man to not take advantage of a girl like that…"

Raven's door slid open once more. Raven reached out, grabbed a startled Beast Boy by the back of his shirt, and yanked him inside. The door slid shut and was sealed magically.

Cyborg could only stare at the door in disbelief.


	2. One Little Touch

As she awakened, three things came to Raven's mind. One, her head was pounding something fierce. Two, she couldn't remember anything from the night before. Three, she was really warm under her blankets.

She pressed her head into the warmth, attempting to soothe her pounding temples just enough to let her focus for a healing mantra. It worked, a little bit.

She chanted quietly. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

The pounding subsided a good bit, but it was still very present. It would take her a while to meditate the condition away, but as it was it wasn't nearly as bothersome. She lay there quietly, trying to remember what had happened last night. She could only get pieces, mere seconds of memory, nothing enough to know what happened.

Desiring to go back to sleep, she snuggled the source of warmth under her blankets. She lay there quietly, the sound of a heartbeat lulling her back into slumber.

 _A heartbeat?_

Her eyes snapped open. She peered at what she was snuggling and gave it once little touch, to which it only twitched. Finding it impossible to see in the dark, she flick her hand at her table lamp and a gentle light filled the room. Her mouth ran dry as she came face to face with her still sleeping bedmate.

It was Beast Boy.

He was nude. She looked down.

She was also nude and tangled in his arms and legs.

She bit off a scream, but the wall her bed was against exploded outward instead.

Beast Boy reacted instantly, coming half awake and jumping out of bed in a fighting stance. He hopped around, giving Raven a clear view of _everything_. She felt her face flush as she turned away and wrapped herself up in the blanket. _BY AZAR!_

"Whozzat? Who wants ta fight this early?!" Beast Boy growled violently. He looked around and shied away from the light from outside. "Oh geez, my head, turn off the light."

He rubbed his eyes and looked around. This wasn't his room. It was Ravens'.

Gulping, he slowly turned to Raven, who had her back to him and was shaking.

"Uh…Raven? What…what happened last night?" He said meekly.

She was shaking her head. "I don't know but you need to get out. Now."

"But…"

"GET OUT!" She shrieked as another wall exploded outwards.

He shifted to a dog and fled from the room with his tail between his legs.

* * *

Down in the common room, the two exploding walls shook the tower violently.

"Raven's awake." Cyborg said calmly, checking the time. "2:37 in the afternoon, they sure slept a while."

Robin shook his pounding head. "We should have stopped them last night."

Cyborg shrugged helplessly. "We should have but we didn't. Nothing we can do about it now."

Robin groaned and lay his head on the table. Starfire was flitting about, worrying about her friends, when Beast Boy (dressed in his uniform) came in about fifteen minutes later.

He sat next to his best friend and laid his head on the table too. "Dude, my head hurts so much right now I'd almost rather let Raven kill me. What happened last night?"

Robin and Cyborg stared at him for a moment. "You don't remember?"

"I remember getting Raven…going to the party…talking to you guys….beating Aqualad in arm wrestling…then I got a couple of drinks…everything gets woozy from there…I remember Raven asking me to get her a drink…and later she…"

He trailed off as Raven stormed into the room. She spotted Beast Boy and approached him, murder in her four crimson eyes. Starfire landed in front of her. "Friend Raven…."

"Shut it, Starfire!" Raven spat. "I can't forgive him for this one! He's going to pay for it!"

She walked around Starfire and started cursing Beast Boy with everything in the English language and several things in Azarathian.

"I TRUSTED YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?! YOU DISGUSTING LITTLE BAS-"

She hadn't seen the smack coming but very much felt it. She staggered back, holding her face and staring at amazement at Starfire.

"Friend Raven, I am sorry for hitting you but you must listen! Beast Boy is not to blame for this…misunderstanding!" She pleaded. Robin and Cyborg stood beside her, blocking Raven's path.

"Are you saying it's MY fault?!" Raven yelled, making the tower shake with her rage.

Cyborg stomped in front of her and leaned down to glare at her. He spoke in a cold and quiet way that was very disturbing. "Yes, Raven, it IS your fault. And because it's your fault, I'm not going to let you lay a finger on him. Understand?"

" _Let me?_ " The girl growled.

" _Did you hear me stutter, sis?_ "

Raven was seething in rage, but his words hung over her head heavily. She stared daggers at him for a moment but it was apparent that he wasn't backing down. Closing her eyes, she starting breathing in and out deeply until she had calmed down enough to speak normally.

"If you expect me to believe you, Cy, you better have some _damn good_ proof." She said coldly.

"I have all the proof I need and then more." He grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the main console. He punched in a full line of commands and brought up a video. He glared at her. "Click it and find out."

Raven hesitated, suddenly unreasonably afraid of what was coming. Cyborg saw this and pressed the start button anyways.

* * *

 _She watched the video, which started with Beast Boy standing nervously at her door. She watched herself keep her eyes glued on her green friend the whole walk to the common room. She watched herself get mobbed by her friends, walk over and sit with Jinx, getting drinks, watching the contest, that first sip of the damned drink…_

 _And then she watched herself becoming very friendly with Beast Boy,_ _drinking from his cup, sweet talking him into getting her another drink, leaning on him…_

 _She watched herself get up and sing._

 _And then she watched herself climb into Beast Boy's lap and lock lips with him. She watched herself keep kissing him more and more and more._

 _Cyborg fast forwarded it a little bit to where they left the room then punched in a command that brought the video to the hallway._

 _She watched herself making out with Beast Boy again then talking to him from the door. She watched the door shut and Beast Boy turning to talk to an approaching Cyborg._

 _She then watched herself open the door and snatch Beast Boy inside._

* * *

Cyborg looked at his friend standing stone still. "Look, Raven…"

"I don't understand." She whispered more to herself than him. "I…don't feel anything like that for him."

Shaking his head, her big brother put his hand on her shoulder. "Apparently Raven…you do."

She looked up to him, fear and dread in her eyes. "Vic…I don't know how to…I can't….I'm so confused right now."

He wrapped her in a hug. "I know Raven. It's going to be okay, I promise. But first…you need to apologize to someone."

Her gaze drifted to her green friend. He still had his head down on the table and was clenching it in his hands as he whimpered softly. She could feel the waves of pain rolling off of him like a tsunami. Before coming to the common room in a berserk fury, she had taken a moment to cleanse herself of the hangover. It was simple to do, really. But Beast Boy was suffering from it more than she had.

All her anger, hatred, and frustration for him popped like a soap bubble in that moment. He really wasn't to blame for last night. Hell, he had supported her, entertained her, made her feel wanted, and practically carried her to her room.

He had also turned her down the first time her thoughts had strayed into something more…intimate.

She sighed and Cyborg released her from his hug, giving her a gentle push towards the changeling.

He didn't look up as she approached, so she cleared her throat. "Say…Beast Boy…about…what I just said to you…"

He shook his head and winced. "No, you're in the right Raven. I can barely remember what happened yesterday, so it's probably my fault anyways. Go ahead, hit me, yell at me, and throw me in the bay, whatever you'd like to punish me for screwing up so badly."

She recoiled, for while his words were spoken gently they carried a weight to them that she hadn't realized before. "Is…is that how you think of me?"

He opened one eye and half closed it due to the bright lights. "No…but that's what you usually do when you're mad at me or when you're not wanting to listen to what I have to say. Guess you could say that I've gotten used to it at this point."

The guilty truth of that statement hung heavily on her shoulders and mind. "You're right…I'm sorry Garfield. I shouldn't have yelled at you this morning when…"She gulped and spoke quieter. "When we woke up."

Garfield opened his eye all the way and looked up at her. "Actually…its afternoon. We slept half the day away."

She turned bright red and stammered. "S-s-so we did. I'm sorry about yelling at you a few minutes ago too…I…I didn't know this was my fault."

He lifted his head a moment, then winced and put it back down. "Your fault? How was this your fault?"

"You really don't remember anything either?"

He carefully shook his head. "Nothing but this pain in my head. I can barely sit here and not cry, it hurts so badly."

Raven tenderly reached out and put her hand on his head, feeling the waves of pain roll from him more fiercely now. She closed her eyes and chanted. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

It took a solid five minutes, but it worked. Beast Boy lifted his head and looked her in the eye, a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you Raven. Really."

She hid her blush under her hood and sat across from him. She was quiet for a moment as she fidgeted with the hem of her cloak. "So…do you…remember anything after the party?"

His eyes widened and he began to pointedly stare at the table in front of him. "I…I might remember a bit of it now."

When he didn't elaborate, she reached out and put her hand on his head again. She mumbled, "Don't…fight it, okay Gar?"

He nodded and let her inside his memories.

The empath was immediately overwhelmed by a tide of passionate emotions that stemmed from both of their memories, her own memories triggered by the sight of herself through his eyes. Memories that felt like they went on for hours.. She grimly hung on though, refusing to budge despite the multitudes of rapturous euphoria that etched themselves into every fiber of her being. She couldn't help biting her lip and whimpering.

At last, she reached what she was looking for, the last memories of the night where they lay in each other's arms, exhausted and barely awake. She focused on them hard, needing to know why she had done this and why she had never realized anything before.

* * *

 _I felt incredible while I was wrapped in his arms, like everything was right in the world and there was nothing to worry about. His kisses are so sweet and tender, but passionate and lustful at the same time. He burns for me, I know this. His body is as warm as his soul and I crave that warmth so very much._

 _Every bit of me was sore and tired, but I have never been so relaxed and emotionally calm in my life. I didn't want it to end, ever._

" _Hey Gar…" I mumbled into his chest._

" _Yeah Rae?" He yawned, his one fang standing out even more than usual. He was so cute yawning like that that I wanted to kiss him again._

" _Thank you for being so patient with me."_

 _He chuckled. "No problem at all, Rae. Though you could go a bit easier on the bodily harm when you're mad at me. Some of that stuff takes a little while to heal."_

 _I nodded and buried my face in his chest. "I'm sorry."_

 _He kissed my head and said everything would be all right._

 _I couldn't stop the tear from running down my face. "Can I ask you something?"_

" _Hmm?"_

" _No matter how grumpy I get, no matter how mean I am, no matter what…will you stay by my side?"_

 _His reply was instantaneous. "Of course Raven. If I was someone who quit at the thought of a little pain, I wouldn't be worthy of being a Titan or of protecting you."_

 _Another tear ran down my cheek. "Thank you. It's impossible for me to say it when I'm…being the normal me, but…I need you, Gar. Your soul is so bright and warm and…I'm lonely…"_

 _He shifted around and I felt his hands on my cheeks. I looked up and he pulled me into a deep kiss that left me completely breathless._

 _Looking into my eyes, he spoke quietly. "Raven, as long as my heart beats, so shall yours. Everything I do, I'll do it for you."_

 _Tears poured from my eyes as exhaustion swallowed me._

* * *

"Raven! Raven! Are you alright?!"

She snapped back to reality. Her friends were staring at her, minus Beast Boy, who was still staring pointedly at the table.

 _No…it's Garfield now…_

"Friend Raven, are you okay? You were shaking a lot and you had tears falling from your eyes." Starfire wrapped her friend in a hug that Raven didn't even bother trying to shake off.

"You, uh….broke the tower too." Cyborg said quietly.

Raven looked around to find that she had indeed destroyed half the tower. She could see that half the common room was gone, along with the connecting hallway that led to the section of the tower where her room was.

"What about…my room?" she asked weakly.

"Gone, Raven."

She sighed and sunk her head to the table. Beast Boy got up from the table and walked to the kitchen area, where he started messing around with stuff. Other than the noise he was making, it was fairly quiet.

Robin was quietly wondering how this…fiasco…would affect the team.

Starfire was wishing she had some dish to make her friends feel better.

Cyborg was calculating the costs of rebuilding the tower. Again.

Raven lifted her head just enough to peer at her green lover, wondering what he could be doing at a time like this.

She flinched when she realized that she had thought of him as her lover. She laid her head back down and tried in vain to separate her thoughts. Her mind was racing and she had no control of it. In the course of a single night, her carefully constructed world had come crashing down. Ten minutes passed before she decided that she needed to find someplace to meditate for a while. And she needed a cup of…

"Tea?" She looked at the hot cup in front of her with surprise as the silver gloved hand set it down. She looked up to Garfield, who sat across from her with a mug of hot chocolate.

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Hey guys…can we get a few minutes here? I think Raven and I need to have a talk."

Robin put his hand on both of their shoulders. "I understand, Beast Boy. Just remember, we're a team. We can get through this together."

"Well…you two can get through this together and we'll be here to support you." He added as an afterthought. Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin left quietly after that.

It was a full five minutes before Garfield spoke. "So…sorry about your room and stuff."

Raven raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you apologizing for? I'm the one that did it."

He watched her sip her tea quietly before he shrugged. "It's really my fault. I could have told you no when you pulled me in the room."

"It's my fault Garfield. I already knew alcohol was bad for me but couldn't stop myself from drinking it once I had a taste. With it, it brought to surface all kinds of things."

"Some things…that I didn't even know about." She added softly, gazing down at her cup of tea.

Garfield was tracing a circular pattern on the table with his finger. "You….you keep using my name. It's…nice to hear it, to be honest. I never thought anything would ever happen between us, I thought you hated me, really… so…I dunno…I'm scared but happy at the same time."

"Scared?"

"Yeah…I mean, I'm not a pretty boy like Robin…I'm not smart like Cyborg…I'm not strong like Aqualad…I irritate you all the time, tell you bad jokes, play pranks on you, I'm too loud around you…" He smiled grimly. "I don't really have much to offer you, so I really don't think I'm good enough to be by your side. And after last night…I wouldn't blame you the least bit for really and truly hating me."

Before she knew what she was doing, Raven had reached out and grabbed his hand. The words she spoke came to her without thinking, much to her surprise.

"You're a good guy, Garfield. I mean that. It really counts for something in a world like this. I can't ignore that. Looks aren't everything either. But the truth is…I don't know how to feel…like this. I don't know how to care for someone in such a way. It's…something I've never experienced." She sighed. "I need to find my mirror, visit Nevermore, and meditate on all of this before I can give you an answer."

His head rose. "Answer? To what?"

"To whether or not I'd even be good enough to be by your side." She said softly before getting up from the table. "Thank you for making me tea…it was surprisingly good."

She didn't know why she had said that any of that, but it sounded so right that she didn't bother arguing it at this time. She put her cup in the sink and walked to the door, pausing for a moment. "And Gar…I've been mad at you plenty of times but I've never actually hated you."

She left without another word. Garfield's head sank to the table to hide his tears as he wondered if she knew that he had learned to brew her tea just for her.

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning that anyone saw Raven again. The other Titans were eating breakfast quietly when she came in the door, looking exhausted.

"Raven! Where have you been?" Robin demanded, setting his coffee down.

Raven shook her head and sat down next to Beast Boy, holding her head in her hands. "I've been fishing my stuff out of the bay all night."

"What?! Why didn't you tell us, we would have helped!" The boys all yelled.

She shook her head again. "Because I didn't want help. I needed the time to think."

Robin and Cyborg looked at Beast Boy questioningly. He shrugged and looked at her in concern. "Did you sleep last night?"

"Not at all."

"You need to go to bed then." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's get you to bed Rae."

She looked at his hand, unable and unwilling to push it off. "Thanks Garfield, but my bed is in the bottom of the bay. Swimming with the fishes is Aqualad's thing."

"Did she just make a joke?" Cyborg whispered to Robin, who only shrugged.

"Friend Raven, would you like to rest for the day in my room? Silkie won't bother you." Starfire piped up with a big smile.

Raven shuddered, thinking off all that pink and sparkly stuff in Star's room. "That's really sweet, Star, but….your bed is kinda like sleeping on a rock."

"Is it?" The girl from Tamaran put a finger on her cheek in thought. "On my world, that would be considered soft sleeping accommodations."

Her friends stared at her for a moment before collectively shaking their heads. Beast Boy cleared his throat.

"Uh, actually, I know where you can sleep for a while."

Cyborg eyeballed him. "And where would that be? She wiped out the guest rooms and all the empty storage rooms."

Beast Boy just smirked and left the table. Curious, the others followed him. Within minutes, they were in the hallway outside of his room. He turned to Raven and gestured at the door. Her incredulous look gave way to an irritated stare.

"You want me to share a room with you? Is this another one of your jokes? Your room is always so fi-"

Beast Boy sighed and opened the door.

"Filthy…" Raven's insult died on her lips.

His room was clean. And not just clean, but _clean_ _clean_. It was bizarre. There were no dirty clothes, no empty food containers, no dirt, no toys or action figures or whatever he called them.

It was just his desk, dresser, cleaned up and made up bunk bed, and his nightstand.

Cyborg turned wide-eyed to his friend. "When did this happen? Why? HOW?!"

Beast Boy shrugged and scratched his head. "Yesterday. I was kinda…restless all night, so I cleaned up. And as for how, I just got rid of all the stuff I didn't need. Piles of clothes I don't wear, action figures that were in bad condition, foodstuffs…the whole nine yards. I washed everything I was keeping and this is how it all ended up. As for why…I dunno. It just seemed that cleaning up my mess was the right thing to do."

Raven studied him hard, worried at something new. She had been up all night searching for her belongings because she too had been restless. Were her feelings and state of mind affecting him because of a single night of passion?

"Anyways," He said suddenly, "You can use my room until Cy fixes yours and the rest of the tower. I'll sleep on the couch, I've done it before."

He walked away, leaving a stunned Raven standing amidst their equally stunned friends.

"W-wait, Garfield!" Raven stammered.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. She couldn't read his thoughts, but his eyes held a curious look to them that made her heart skip a beat.

"Hm?"

"It's very sweet of you to give me your room, but it's YOUR room, I don't want to kick you out of it."

"Well, it's my fault that…"

"Oh, will you stop that already?" She snapped suddenly. Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire, who had all been watching this exchange quietly, took several steps back from Raven. She looked at them and frowned. "Sorry."

Turning back to him, she kept her eyes planted on the floor as she struggled to keep her traditional monotone. "Look, I already said it's my fault. When are you going to stop saying it's yours?"

"When you stop saying it's your fault, Raven."

Her head snapped up. He was only a couple of feet away now, looking her in the eye. She had a hard time looking him in the eye and she had no idea why.

"Look…at this rate we'll be old before one of us admits it was the others fault. How about we just say it was both of our faults?" She mumbled. She heard him chuckle and looked up to see him giving her a soft smile that made her heart skip madly.

"We'll be old and arguing, huh?" He smiled.

"Yeah? What makes that so funny?" She stammered again, blushing.

He laughed. "Nothing, Rae."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Hehe, alright Raven."

"Don't you 'alright Raven' me, Beast Boy!" She shook a finger in his face, glaring daggers now. "You cheeky, smart alec, pointy eared elf!"

The sound of a throat clearing stopped her from calling him more names. Her head turned slowly until she was looking at Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin, all of whom were struggling to not smile. Cyborg, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, punched something into the keyboard on his arm. A moment later, the sound of church bells started softly, and then escalated into a wedding theme.

Raven's right eye twitched, exploding

the keypad and speakers, much to Cyborg's horror.

Suddenly she was scooped up by a pair of big arms. Startled, she snapped her head back to Beast Boy, who had turned into a gorilla and carried her in the room. He deposited her on the top bunk and tossed a blanket and pillow at her, hitting her in the face before she could protest.

He was laughing as he turned back to his desk, where he rummaged around in a drawer for a moment, then his belt. "Just get some sleep, Rae. I'll wake you in a while."

Raven glared at his turned back and then at her companions in the door. "You're not going to drop this, are you?"

"Nope!" Cy grinned evilly.

Robin shook her head. "Sorry Raven, but you need the rest. Better in here than out on the couch."

"I'm sure you will sleep most well, Raven!" Starfire smiled warmly, a slight mischievous twinkle in her eye as she glanced at Beast Boy then back to Raven.

Raven sighed. "Fine. Four hours."

"I heard six." Beast Boy smiled as he set a clock on the nightstand next to the bed and adjusted the time.

"Four." She repeated more firmly.

"Seven?" Came the irritating response as he clicked the last digit in.

"FOUR."

"Eight it is!" He laughed even harder as he got up and walked to the door. A pillow whacked him in the back of the head. He picked it up and turned back just to see her bundle up under the blanket and roll over mumbling.

"Stupid elf."

He tossed the pillow on top of her head perfectly and dashed out the door before she could throw it at him again.

* * *

The door clicked shut and Raven passed out almost immediately. She only had time for a single thought.

 _When did he get so cool?_

* * *

Cyborg crossed his arms, grinned, and raised his eyebrow at his best friend. "Bro."

Garfield couldn't keep the grin from his face either. "Dude."

Even Robin couldn't suppress a smile. "Alright guys, let's not get too hasty here. Beast Boy, keep it in your pants. Cyborg, don't encourage them. Starfire…"

He trailed off, seeing her flying around the corridor giggling and laughing, talking about how wonderful it was to see all of her friends in such a happy state. He sighed and grabbed her hand as she flew by. Of course, she didn't notice at first so she drug him around in the air. When his protests finally reached her ears, she set him down and started animatedly repeating everything she said to him.

Cyborg slugged his friend in the arm. "Stepping up yer game, aren'tcha Green Bean?"

Beast Boy couldn't do anything but chuckle and shrug. "She's coming out of her shell, Cy. I mean, I'm not happy that what happened is what brought her out, but if the boot fits, I gotta wear it."

"You sure you aren't being too aggressive? It's what, day 3 of these shenanigans?"

"I'm not trying at all to be that way…I just…I dunno…" He shrugged again. "I don't want her to put her walls back up, ya know? I might not be able to reach her again."

Cyborg looked sympathetically at his buddy for a moment. "She means that much to you, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Victor Stone looked down at his best friend and brother. The little guy had been through some tough times, even before he joined the team. His ups and downs were always written clearly on his face and he never really hid anything from anyone either. Victor thought about all the times Beast Boy had put himself on the line for his friends, all the times he had gone out of his way to cheer someone up, all the times he had been hurt emotionally by someone else but bounced back. Terra, in particular, had left a deep scar on his heart. And now it looked like Raven was healing that scar, whether she knew it or not.

And now that it was BB's turn for some true happiness, Vic couldn't even bring himself to tease his brother.

Instead, he smiled. "Alright champ, what's the next big play?"

Beast Boy's grin widened. "I have an idea. It's something I haven't done in a while, but I'm hoping it works out. Let's take a trip into town."

* * *

 _Beep baa beep baa beep baa beep baa beep baa beep baa beep baa beep baa_

Raven cracked an eye open, looking for that damnable alarm clock. She hadn't heard the door open, but the bleating of a sheep made it apparent that Garfield had shifted and joined the clock in an attempt to wake her.

"Garfield…shut up." She sighed. "And turn that stupid alarm off."

She heard him laugh and it sent an enjoyable shiver down her spine. Shaking her head, she rolled over to get out of bed, only remembering at the last moment that she was on the top bunk. She grabbed at the bed and missed, landing hard on Beast Boy, who had yelped in surprise.

It took her a full minute to untangle herself from the blanket and Beast Boy. She sat up huffing and puffing with irritation. Turning to yell at her companion, she found that he was still under the blanket. Thinking he was hiding from her, she ripped it off of him.

What she found, however, was Beast Boy curled up on the floor with both hands on his crotch and a very pained expression on his teary face.

 _Oh no…I didn't…_ She reached out emphatically and cringed. _Both of them?!_

"Um…Garfield…are…are you okay?" She touched him on the shoulder.

He nodded, another tear racing down his cheek as he gasped in a squeakier-than-usual-voice. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just need a minute, that's all."

The sight of him in so much pain made her tremble and a tear rolled down her face. "I'm sorry Gar, it was an accident!"

He looked up at her, confused. "Why…why are you crying? I'm the one that's hurt."

Raven shook her head. "I have no idea."

He gave her a funny look, then started taking deep breaths. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Within minutes, he shifted into a little green tabby kitten, then a bloodhound puppy, then back to himself. He sighed and sat back against the nightstand.

Raven was looking at her hand, where she had wiped the tear away. Why had she cried for his pain? She had seen him in pain plenty of times before and all she had felt then was concern. This…this was something new.

"Uh…Raven…can you not make it a habit to wake up and hit me?" Beast Boy weakly chuckled.

She nodded numbly, still confused with her reaction towards him. A gloved hand slid into her vision and she looked up.

"Come'on Rae. Go get a shower and join me in the kitchen afterwards, I'm cooking dinner."

"It's not gonna be tofu surprise, is it?"

He only laughed.


	3. One Little Whisper

**Seeing as this is my first header for this story, there's something I'd like to say.**

 **RPGPersona, ReyMesiris, RachelGarfield12...thank you for your reviews. They mean a lot to me. I was actually terrified that I had lost my touch with writing, but your words helped me a lot. Heck, even BeastBoyF.T.W's review made me feel half decent about it, though it seems that he doesn't know what a tsundere is :P *nudgenudgewinkwink***

 **Anyhoot, chapters are going to be a tad slow updating after this week, I've got a steady bit of work coming up but I'll try to keep them coming as steady as I can when I have down time. And with that, I say Au Revior.**

* * *

It only took her half an hour to shower and change. The extreme heat from the water had worked wonders on her tired muscles and she felt refreshed as she teleported back to Garfield's room to change into some clean clothes.

A sudden thought struck her. _I'm changing clothes in Garfield's room._

She shuddered, but from apprehension or excitement, she didn't know. She shook her head, trying to drop that line of thinking. The trip to Nevermore hadn't been made yet, so she needed to be cautious around the changeling.

She opened a box of her clothes and frowned. She had forgotten to wash and dry the stuff in there before she went to sleep.

 _Hm…I did set one set of clothes in the dryer, they were just a little damp…but I've got nothing clean to wear down to the laundry room._ Still frowning, her eyes wandered the room until they settled on Garfield's dresser. Before she realized what she was doing, she was rifling through his pajama drawer. Pulling out a pair that looked interesting at first, she stared at it when she saw that it was a dark bluish-purple with what appeared to be a raven on a crest of some sort.

She stared at it even harder when she found a matching shirt. _There's no way…_

Mentally taking a note to ask him about it later, she quickly put the clothes on and walked over to the closet and opened it to look at herself in the mirror. Everything was a bit snug for her. The shirt really brought out the shape of her breasts and the bottoms hugged her thighs just enough to show off her slightly curvy nature. She stopped suddenly, staring at the mirror in horror.

 _Since when have I been self-conscious about my image? And why the hell am I wearing Garfield's pajamas?_

She stared at herself in the mirror for a little longer, her mind in shambles.

 _I don't understand this. Not only am I in his room, I'm in his clothes and I'm comfortable too. I don't understand, a week ago I wanted to mount his head on the wall for annoying me while I was meditating. Two weeks ago I threw him in the bay for a joke so bad that it gave me a headache. I don't understand. We've had a bit of a love-hate friendship for a while now…but this is so much different. This is ridiculous. It only happened a couple of days ago that we…_

She let the thought trail off as another took its place. _Does this mean that I…?_

She sighed and set the thought aside. Her stomach was growling loudly now, demanding the food she had barely provided it the past couple of days. She teleported down to the laundry room and upon finding no one else there, grabbed her clothes from the dryer and teleported back to their room.

 _Our room?_ The thought made her light headed and her heart skipped a beat.

She shook the thought from her head and made her way to the common room, where the kitchen area was. She opened the door and heard Italian music playing softly. Bewildered, she looked around the room. The only person there was Garfield, who was bobbing to the music as he set three pans on the stove, one full of water.

Said changeling was completely in his own little world right now. Italian music always held a spot in his heart as long as he could remember. Add that to the fact that he was cooking for not only for his friends, but someone who had become even more precious to him, and you had one very happy changeling. He pulled several pounds of raw chicken out of the fridge and set them down next to the cream, parmesan cheese, butter, and other stuff he had out. The pot of water was boiling slowly. He started slicing the breast from the chickens, bouncing and bobbing to the beat of the music, having the time of his life. And just when he had sliced the last of the chicken up, a voice spoke up behind him.

"Garfield?"

For the second time that day, Garfield Mark Logan yelped in surprise. His only other reaction was the slam his hand into the radio, which changed the channel into some weird techno-pop he'd never heard of.

He turned his head slowly, his face lighting up with embarrassment as he found Raven sitting behind him at the table. "H-hey Raven…did…did you see anything?"

 _By Azar, he's cute when he's embarrassed like that!_ She thought as she replied in a monotonous voice. "Saw what?"

He nodded and turned back to the chicken he wasn't using. He wrapped it up and put it in the freezer, then came back to the chicken on the counter. He was sorting through the pieces when he felt her walk up beside him and looked over his shoulder.

"You're a vegetarian." She raised an eyebrow at him. "So what are you doing?"

"Well…I'm a vegetarian yeah, but you guys aren't. I thought I'd do something nice for you guys." He slid his gaze from the chicken to her. "Is that bad?"

"No, but I didn't figure you would be one to handle a dead animal."

"Well…it IS already dead…so it's not so bad." He shrugged. "I haven't always been a vegetarian either, so this isn't the first time."

"Oh…so what are you making?"

"Chicken fettuccine alfredo."

 _That explains the Italian music._ Raven thought as she watched her…whatever he was… take the meat and put it in on a plate. He then put a mixture of granulated garlic and onion on both sides of the chicken, followed by salt and crushed pepper. He set plate of chicken close to the stove and put four tablespoons of butter into an empty stainless steel pot after turning the burner on.

Raven, her curiosity peaked, spoke up. "Can I help?"

He glanced at her then the now-boiling pasta. "Sure…keep an eye on the pasta. Stir it, if you would."

He looked away and was spreading the butter more evenly in the pot when out of the corner of his eye he saw the wooden spoon for the pasta float and dip into the pot to stir. He scowled.

"Now Raven, no magic for cooking! It'll ruin the taste!"

She pulled back from him, surprised. "Are you saying my magic will make the food taste bad?"

"No, I'm saying that when you cook, it's not something you just look at and do. It's something you feel, something you embrace, something you find the natural flow to as you're doing it." He plucked the spoon from the air and handed to her. "Just be careful, the water is really hot."

She started stirring the pot of pasta carefully, quietly marveled at the philosophical implications of his line of thinking towards cooking. The only thing she'd seen him ever obsess over was video games and comics, so this was very surprising.

When the butter had melted just right, he put in three pieces of chicken and turned to her. "Okay, let them simmer like this for three minutes, then flip them over and simmer for three more minutes. Afterwards, take them out with these tongs and put some more in. Remember to move them around, even with the butter there there's a small chance they might burn and that'll ruin the flavor."

She nodded vigorously and then watched him move to the fridge and pull more stuff out. Keeping an eye on the chicken in the pan in front of her, she watched him from the corner of her eye as he set about mixing stuff together. He put almonds, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and sea salt all in a blender followed by something powdery that smelled like cheese (she assumed it was some sort of nutritional supplement). He added a bit of water and started blending it. After it blended, he pulled out a very odd looking device from under the counter and set a green vegetable of some sort into it, cranking the lever to shred the vegetable into long noodles. He chopped them up into reasonable sizes, then put them all in a bowl and poured the sauce from the blender onto it. He mixed it for a moment, then frowned.

"Not enough sauce…" He mumbled before grabbing more ingredients. Meanwhile, Raven had finished all the meat and put it all on the plate, awaiting his further instructions. He saw this and turned the burner for the pasta off before he poured them into a colander and set said noodle-filled colander onto the counter. Without asking, she moved to the blender and repeated what he had done there. He raised an eyebrow and a small smile lit crossed his face, but she was pointedly not looking at him. He suppressed a chuckle as he poured a large cup of cream into the pan that had held the chicken, then another. He stirred it carefully before he set a knife next to the plate of chicken.

Raven looked at it, then him. He smiled and nodded.

Her heart skipped a beat again.

Beast Boy couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he stirred parmesan cheese into the sizzling pot. It turned sly and lit up his face moreso as he took the spoon out, covered in sauce, and waited for it to cool off. Raven glanced at him questioningly.

He popped the spoon into her mouth and her eyes popped open as the flavor hit her tongue. _Wow, that's good!_

He stared at her for a moment with a smug grin. "So?"

"A little black pepper would make it better." She mumbled. "And quit smiling already."

He laughed and added a couple of pinches of pepper in. He stirred it in and took the plate of chopped chicken from her. Slowly sliding the chicken in, he made sure every piece became smothered and soaked in the sauce, stirring vigorously until he was satisfied with it. It wasn't long before he added the pasta and stirred them together with the tongs.

At this point, Raven was practically drooling. The sauce had been amazing, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She caught herself licking her lips in anticipation when Beast Boy turned to her, his eyes towards the door.

"We've got company." He said, nodding at the three heads peeking through the door.

The other Titans came in warily at first but then stopped when the smell of the food hit them. It took them about half a heartbeat to make it to the table. Robin and Cyborg hopped in their seats immediately, but Starfire stopped and stared at her dinner hosts. A small smirk made its way to her face as she sat between Robin and Cyborg, in the place where Beast Boy usually sat.

This was not lost upon Raven nor Beast Boy, since now they would be sitting next to each other. To his credit, Beast Boy didn't make any jokes or puns. He just put on a straight face and dished out the alfredo to his friends, making sure to give Raven a generous portion. After adding some diced tomatoes, bell pepper, and oregano, he set his own food down at his seat and sat next to Raven.

Sly looks passed between the three teens on the other side just before they all bit into the pasta.

Cyborg looked down in awe. "This…this is awesome."

Robin was stuffing his face, as was Starfire. Raven took a bite and her stomach _demanded more this very instant._

She happily obliged it.

It was mere minutes before all the afredo had been eaten. The only food left was a forkful left on Beast Boy's plate.

"What _is_ that?" She asked him.

"Raw zucchini noodles with cashew alfredo sauce." He smiled as he looked at this last bit of food. "My adopted mom helped me learn how to make it when I became vegetarian."

"Oh?" Robin wiped his mouth on a napkin before draining his soda. "That was amazing Beast Boy, I didn't know you knew how to cook like that."

"Mom taught me." He smiled. "I just never feel like cooking."

"So what made you want to cook tonight?" Cyborg asked slyly.

Beast Boy shrugged and kept a straight face."Dunno dude. It just sounded like a good idea."

He twirled his fork in his hand and went for the last bite when a fork from the side came in and scooped it up. His disbelieving face followed it up to Raven's mouth, where it disappeared without hesitation. Cyborg, who had been licking his fork clean, inhaled said fork at this sight. Robin dropped his drink.

Starfire, on the other hand, leaned forward. "Friend Raven, is it good?"

Raven made the funniest of faces several times before she swallowed it. She took a sip of Garfield's soda, then shuddered.

"That was weird. I mean, really weird. But in a good way…I think." She shook her head. "The soda was a bad idea though."

At this moment, Cyborg spat out the fork and massaged his throat. "You two are getting kinda close, huh?"

Raven looked at him, eyebrow raised. "What makes you think that?"

He smiled evilly. "Well, you were in here cooking _with_ _him_. Then you took food from _his_ plate. And just then, you drank from _his_ drink."

Starfire pipped up. "It is good to see that the two of you are finally getting along so well! Had I known the party was going to produce such joyous results, I would have arranged it sooner!'

Raven paled, but Cyborg didn't stop.

"And you know, I saw something curious on the security camera a bit ago. Someone in blue pajamas in the laundry room…"

The couch exploded as Raven pulled her hood down over her face and yelled at him to shut up before she fled into one of her dark portals.

Not a word passed between the four friends until the last of the fluff from the couch lay motionless. Then, and only then, did Beast Boy turn to his best friend with an irritated stare.

"Dude. Really?"

"Sorry." Cyborg said weakly.

Beast Boy snorted and stomped away from the table. Cyborg got up to go after him, but Robin grabbed his arm.

"Oh no you don't. _Your_ joke caused the couch to blow up." Robin scolded. "So now _you_ are cleaning both the couch and the dishes tonight."

Cyborg's pleading fell on deaf ears as Starfire and Robin left the room.

* * *

Garfield opened the door to their room, letting himself smile a little at the thought that it was _their_ room. Of course, _They_ means two or more, and Raven most certainly wasn't there. He exhaled his entire breath and then inhaled, allowing his animalistic senses to come more fully into focus. He normally suppressed them a considerable bit, but he needed them now.

Her scent flooded his olfactory senses and he shuddered in enjoyment. However, the scent was slowly fading. He stepped outside the room and inhaled again. She hadn't been out there, so she didn't leave the room. Walking back in, he noticed her mirror on the desk and approached it. Her scent was strongest here.

 _So she went to Nevermore, huh? Well, as long as she's okay…_

He looked around the room, spotting the blue pajamas Raven had apparently worn for a brief time. Her scent was still strong on them. He had actually got those pajamas for her for Christmas but didn't have the courage to give them to her. The irony of her finding them in his drawer and wearing them sent him into a small fit of laughter.

The klaxon blared harshly, alerting him to something going on in Jump City. Knowing Raven wouldn't be back in time, he scribbled a note on a piece of paper and left it next to the mirror. He ran out without a second thought.

* * *

Raven stepped from her portal to Nevermore and looked at the time on the clock. 11:52 PM. She had been in there for hours and had gotten no answers from her emoticlones. It was unusual that none of them would give her a straight answer about anything, only cryptic responses and heavy indications that they wanted her to play this one by ear. Rage hadn't even bothered her, just snapped that the changeling should have started cooking for us (Raven) sooner.

Raven sighed and started forward when her foot caught on something. Looking down in the dim light from the window, she saw the pajamas. She looked at them for a long time, inwardly struggling with the implications of wearing his pajamas again.

She turned away from them, sighing.

And then found herself in the closet changing into the pajamas.

She walked out of the closet and stopped when she realized what she had done. She cursed herself quietly, then set her clothes down on the mirror. Upon seeing the note, she opened the curtain a little to let some light in so she could read Garfield's messy handwriting.

 _Rae, alarm sounded but you were in Nevermore. I'll tell Robin, he won't be happy but he'll get over it. See you tonight, be safe. –Gar_

She couldn't help but to smile at the sweet note. He was concerned for her even those there was nothing to worry about in Nevermore anymore. She set the note down and climbed into the already warm bed, yawning. She moved around to get comfortable only once before she passed out.

* * *

It was around 8 the next morning when Cyborg stopped in front of the young couple's room. He was _really_ hoping they weren't getting it on, 'cause he was there to get them for the day's training. He knocked on the door several times without an answer before he overrode the door commands and opened it.

Stepping inside cautiously, he listened for and saw nothing going on. The sound of a light snore was in the air, but that was it. He glanced at the top bunk, but Raven wasn't there. He lowered his eyes towards the bottom bunk.

 _There's no way…_

He gently pulled the blanket back, shook his head, and snapped a picture with his eye cam before retreating from the room. He went all the way to the common room, where Robin and Starfire were waiting.

"Well? Where are they?" Robin snapped. "We've been waiting over an hour for them already."

Cyborg shook his head. "I'm sorry Rob…I couldn't do it."

"Do what?"

He opened the panel on his arm (which he had fixed the night before), punched in a line of commands, and then showed Robin and Starfire the picture that popped up on the screen.

It was Raven and Beast Boy sleeping together. Raven had her head against his chest and was clinging to him, while Beast Boy's head was against the top of hers and he had his arms wrapped around her protectively.

"I couldn't bring myself to wake them up…I'm sorry Robin."

Robin snorted. "I'll wake them up, they've slept enough over the past few days."

He made for the door but Starfire landed in front of him, barring his path and glaring.

"What are you doing, Star? They need to train with us!"

"No, _they_ do not. _They_ need time to find themselves and each other and I will not allow you to disrupt them!" She stomped her foot and the tower shook.

"But Starfire…"

"NO BUTS, ROBIN." She stomped again, shaking the tower yet again.

He looked up to her. "Why? Why can't I go get them?"

"Because, Robin, Raven needs to find more of herself. Her powers are like my own, controlled by our emotions. She's more lost right now than ever before and she needs friend Beast Boy to guide her on the right path. I cannot and will not allow you to interrupt them." Her glare softened a bit. "And would it not be best that we wait until she has regained true control of her powers? If she cannot control her emotions, then she cannot control her powers either."

Robin started pacing the room, torn between being a good friend and being a good team leader. Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes passed before he sighed. "Alright Starfire, you win."

* * *

She wasn't sure what woke her up this time, but when she did wake up Raven knew that Beast Boy was involved somehow.

Sure enough, he was involved…just not how she thought. She looked up at him in the dim light of the room. He was snoring lightly and his arms were wrapped protectively around her. She looked down to her hands, which were clinging to him. She sighed and poked him in the nose until he opened one groggy eye.

"Hm?"

"I thought the top bunk was mine. What are you doing up here without my permission?"

"Hm?" His brow furrowed and he looked past her. Raven looked over her shoulder and saw that she was on the bottom bunk with him.

She cursed herself and head-butted him gently. "Why am I down here?"

He mumbled something that sounded like _I dunno._

She glared at him. "Are you enjoying this? Making me feel this awkward?"

His lips twitched with a small smile. "Mmhmm."

"Why?!'

"Cause it means you don't want to be alone anymore, Rae." He whispered quietly.

Her face running hot, she bumped her fists against his chest. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of this. I was perfectly happy the way I was."

Both his eyes were open now. "If that was true, Raven, then why did you come to me that night?"

She didn't have an answer.

It was several minutes before she spoke again. "Okay, so I wasn't happy. I'll admit that. So now tell me why we're so comfortable…like this."

"We?" Came a chuckle.

"Oh shut up Gar, you know what I meant!"

He smiled at her and her heart skipped a beat once more. "I would imagine it's because we were _already_ comfortable with each other, Rae. We're just _more_ comfortable with each other now."

"What? How does that make sense? You annoy the hell out of me eight days out of the week."

"Yeah, but you rarely tried to stop me from bothering you _before_ I started to do it."

Raven hesitated. "Are you saying I _wanted_ the attention?"

"Seems like it, yeah."

Her face scrunched up as she tried understand. The more she thought about it, the more it sounded right. It actually would have been easy for her to stop him before he started but she had never done that. Then she recalled the last bit of memories from their night of passion, her plea for him to stay by her side. Her shoulders sagged and she head-butted him again.

"I still don't believe you, Gar." She mumbled into his chest.

"Really Rae? Then why haven't you yelled at me for calling you Rae this whole time? And why do you call me Gar or Garfield instead of Beast Boy?"

She had no answer, so he tilted his head just a bit and kissed her head. She tensed up, then started trembling in his arms.

"That's not playing fair, you stupid elf."

"Really? That's funny. A little birdie told me you like that kind of thing."

"Shut up and go back to sleep."

* * *

Fortunately for Raven, the next two weeks passed without any kind of incident like the first few days. Instead, on the mornings where she woke up next to Garfield, she would carefully extract herself from his arms and return to the top bunk. He had caught her doing it twice but had only smiled and went back to sleep.

Outside of their unusual sleeping arrangement, things had changed as well. They always sat together at meal times and most of the time when one or the other was on the couch, they sat together as well, and when it came to fighting crime they were rather protective of each other. This morning didn't seem like it would be any different.

They had eaten breakfast just a while ago (scrambled eggs with cheese and two waffles for her, and a vegan omelet for him), and were sitting on the couch. Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing Ultra Mega Monkey Masher Game of the Year Edition (with ten extra levels, three new difficulties and a coupon for Megastop, the gaming store) and Raven was next to the changeling drinking a fresh cup of herbal tea and reading a book. She had learned how to tune out most of their loud exchanges of bravado remarkably fast since she had gotten closer to her bedmate.

She had just lowered the cup from taking a sip when the klaxon went off, startling everyone. Cyborg was up and over the sofa before the call was half over. Unfortunately, when Beast Boy jumped up in surprise he hit Raven's arm.

It was like slow motion, seeing the scalding hot liquid coming at her face. This was going to hurt, a lot. Or it at least it would have if two green tentacles hadn't of wrapped around her and yanked her out of the way mere milliseconds before contact before her skin and the tea happened. Beast Boy held her out of the way as the scalding liquid covered where she had been sitting.

"Whew." He said. "Thank goodness for animal reflexes, I didn't know I could move that fast."

Turning to Raven, he found the young sorceress in a foul mood. It was then that he realized that, in his split second reaction, the tentacled arms he had grabbed her with had wrapped around her chest and bottom.

"Put. Me. DOWN." She growled.

He set her down gently and let her go. She immediately started berating him.

"Really, Beast Boy? You had to jump so hard you almost scalded me with my own drink?! And then you had the nerve to cop a feel?!"

"I'm sorry Raven, it was an accident. And no, I just reacted, it was completely unintentional to grab you like that. I promise." He was looking down at the new couch stain as he said that quietly.

Raven huffed and puffed but she didn't lash out at him, to his surprise. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

After a moment, she spoke. "I'm sorry Garfield; I didn't mean to overreact like that. It was way too close for comfort. And for you to grab me like that…it was very startling."

"I'm sorry Raven. I was too into the game and when the alarm went off it really startled me too."

Raven stared at him for a long moment, paying no mind to the alarm still blaring. "That's really mature for you, Gar. I'm surprised…but in a good way."

He gave her such a happy grin that she blushed a little bit. "Thanks Rae. I'm trying."

 _I wish he'd stop being cute like that so much. It makes it hard to think_. She thought as she opened a portal to the command room and shoved him in.

"What's the problem, Robin?" She asked as she stepped through after Beast Boy.

He looked up from the console. "HIVE Five is attacking the shopping mall again. What took you two so long?"

"Spilled my tea, tried to get it cleaned real quick. Didn't work." She waved her hand and opened a portal to the mall. Her friends piled in, with Beast Boy coming in last.

She paused before she strode through the portal, wondering why her eyes had been firmly attached to Garfield's butt.

The first thing Raven had to do when she exited the portal was duck away from a table that came flying at her head. Looking over, it was a battling Cyborg and Gizmo that had done it, their blasting sending all kinds of cheap tables and chairs flying every which way. She turned away and scanned the battleground. Starfire was chasing Kid Wikked around, trying to catch him. Robin was holding off a dozen copies of Billy Numerous. Private Hive was… sneaking out a side door with a big bag of money.

She snorted and sealed the exit with a flick of her hand. Private Hive bounced off the door and then hopped away when Raven stepped out of the dark aura around the door.

"Mammoth, NOW!" The yellow and black costumed teen yelled as he ducked away.

As he moved from her line of sight, she saw the massive column that Mammoth had thrown her way. Backpedaling, she bumped against the wall instead of her portal.

But moments before it hit her, there was a _massive_ roar that shook the building and a _huge_ green lion snatched the column out of the air in its jaws. It turned towards Mammoth, who started backpedaling just like Raven did. A green snake filled Raven's vision suddenly.

"Are you okay?" It whispered.

"Yeah, Gar, I'm fine…what are you?" She asked in awe.

The snake seemed to smile smugly. "A chimera. I saw it in one of your books. Check out how cool it is!"

The lions head crushed the column in its jaws and spat out the rubble. It lunged at Mammoth, who screamed shrilly and fled as fast as he could. He knocked Gizmo over in the process.

Gizmo got up spitting his little childish curses and looked up at Beast Boy, unimpressed.

"So yer a giant hairy booger now, huh?" He shouted. "I'm gonna pick you and toss you away, crust-fer-brain!"

His backpack sprouted four mechanical legs and he charged Beast Boy. Beast Boy snorted and swiped the mechanical legs out from under Gizmo faster than he could react. After he hit the ground with a thud, the goats head (which had been tracking Robin and Billy Numerous's fight) spat a small wisp of fire onto the irritating backpack, which started melting immediately. Gizmo slung the pack off and started stomping on it and screaming.

The giant chimera seemed to purr in amusement. Raven shook her head and looked around for Private Hive, but he had disappeared.

"YEEHAAAWWW!"

Raven's head snapped back to Beast Boy, who was being mobbed by dozens of Billy Numerous's clones. They kept multiplying and multiply, smothering her lover in their bodies.

 _There I go again calling him my lover._ _We're not even dating yet!_ She snarled at the irritating redneck, her eyes split as she started her mantra.

"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" She yelled as she clapped her hands together, sending a shockwave of dark magic out. It blasted the clones away, bouncing them off walls rather hard. In their place was a little green turtle, which poked his head out and looked around.

Beast Boy shifted to his human form as an unconscious Billy Numerous landed nearby. Cyborg walked up with Gizmo under one arm and dragging an unconscious Mammoth in the other.

"Perfect clothesline, BB." He smiled big as he tossed them down on Billy.

"Sweet!"

Raven watched Starfire flit about the room, still trying to catch Kid Wikked. Occasionally he would pop out of a shadow and swipe his razor claws at her but she always managed to block or evade them. He was also evading Robin too, which was a feat upon itself to dodge both Titans at once.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the only one would could teleport and use shadows.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, focusing on Kid Wikked intently. He stopped mid teleport, frozen in place, a look of horror on his silent face as he looked at the sadistic smile on Raven's face. Starfire calmly glided down to him and boxed him between the ears.

 _Four down, one to go._ Raven thought. _Now we can go back and have a quiet evening together after finding Private Imbecile._

But all they found was the bag of money and an open exit door. Raven sent her soul self out for a few minutes, but he was long gone.

"He's not here." She said simply as she returned to her body, her eyes returning to their normal hue as she calmed down.

"We'll find him, we have his friends." Robin said as he handcuffed the teenaged villains.

"Nice transformation, BB. What the heck was that?" Cyborg punched his buddy the shoulder.

"A chimera." Beast Boy grinned. "I saw it in one of Raven's book and thought it was cool."

"You had three heads, one of which was breathing fire! Of course it was cool!"

"Dude, I know right?!"

Raven looked around. "Actually…I don't recall seeing See-More anywhere."

Cyborg popped his arm open and accessed the security system in the mall. "Hm….he wasn't here to begin with. Looks like he called in sick or something."

"Who knows?" Beast Boy said quickly. "Maybe he quit or something? Let's just give them to the cops and get back to the tower now."

Before Raven could ask why she had suddenly gotten a shifty feeling from him, Beast Boy's communicator went off. He opened it and a shrill voice yelled out.

"BEAST BOY, MY OLD RIVAL! I WATCHED YOUR LITTLE THROWDOWN WITH THOSE LOSERS THAT CALL THEMSELVES THE HIVE FIVE! I'M IMPRESSED, SO I'M CALLING YOU OUT FOR A LITTLE CHALLENGE, CHANGELING!"

The other Titans crowded around and looked at the screen to see Control Freak cackling on it. He stopped and glared at them.

"Not you guys! Just Beast Boy! He's the only cool one there!"

Cyborg looked to his friend. "Seriously dude? Again? Didn't he challenge you a couple of weeks ago? Heck, I thought you taught him a lesson the last time?"

"I did!" Beast Boy scowled at the screen. "What do you want Eug-Control Freak?"

It appeared that Raven was the only one who caught that Beast Boy had almost said a name. Another riddle she would demand the answer for when they got to their room.

 _Our room_.

She sighed quietly, hoping that she'd never stop calling it that, then flinched when she realized what she just thought.

"I'm challenging you Beast Boy! Today! Six o'clock! The usual challenge zone!"

"Yeah yeah, I'll go. You better bring your A-game this time!"

Control Freak cackled. "You'll not survive these challenges, my green friend!"

"Yo hold up, Control Freak. Nobody minds that you _try_ to beat the string bean to a bloody mess, but you should know his girlfriend will be tagging along this time too. They're inseparable." Cyborg snickered.

The other Titans stared at Cyborg, particularly Raven and Beast Boy. He shrugged sheepishly. "What? Might as well be dating, as much time as ya'll spend together, not to mention..."

Control Freak's head popped through the screen. "Hold on. Repeat that? _Beast Boy_ has a girlfriend? That's impossible, he's like, on the lowest on the totem pole for date-ability according to the internet. I mean, come on, look what happened between him and Terra."

Raven saw Beast Boy flinch and a pained expression filled his eyes for a moment before he blinked it away with indifference. Raven's right eye twitched in extreme irritation.

Something on the other side of the communicator exploded, causing Control Freak to pull his head back through. They heard him screaming.

"MY BABIES! SEEYOULATERTONIGHTBEASTBOYGOTTARUNMAKESURETOBRINGYOURGIRLFRIENDOKAYBYE!"

The communicator fell silent as the call was dropped. Beast Boy walked away, mumbling to himself. He was clearly upset. Cyborg gently pushed Raven towards him. She looked back at him, confused.

"Go on, "He urged her, "That's your man now. Make him see that it's the future he needs to look at, not the past!"

"But we're not…" Raven stammered.

"Go!"

It didn't take really take her long to catch up to him, he wasn't moving very fast. He was still mumbling to himself though and didn't hear her approach.

She tried to think of something comforting to say, but nothing came to mind.

She tried to think of something bold to say, but nothing came to mind.

She tried to think of something affectionate to say…but she was too embarrassed.

He was still walking, his hands swinging at his side, mumbling to himself.

 _His hand…_

She hesitated at first, but slowly reached out and took his hand in hers. He stopped as if he hit a brick wall, then slowly looked down at her hand in his. All Raven could do as he turned to look at her was turn away with a blush.

"Raven…for you to do that, it means a lot to me…but why?" He asked quietly.

She fought to keep her voice steady. "Well, you looked upset about what Control Freak said about you and Terra…so…"

Beast Boy snorted. "I've long since moved on from her. The fact that him, of all people, was the one mocking me is what irritated me. He's never had a girlfriend and probably won't, the damn slob."

Raven looked at him curiously. "You sound like you know him, Gar."

"I do…in a sense…" He shrugged. "You'll find out this evening, I guess."

"Does that make this the first date?" Raven mumbled to herself out loud. She clapped a hand to her mouth, as wide eyed as Garfield.

"That would be a terrible first date." He said slowly. "So…why don't we have the first date now?"

Raven nodded. "I'd like to go back to the tower and change first. This is a special occasion."

Garfield nodded too. Hand in hand, they walked through one of her dark portals.

Together at last.


	4. One Little Push

_Whatever you do, don't panic._

 _This is happening._

 _Don't panic._

 _This is real. I'm not hallucinating._

 _Okay, panic._

Raven paced furiously about her old room, a dozen different sets of clothes lying about her desk, boxes, and dresser.

She hadn't actually stayed in the room since Cyborg had repaired it, but she had moved her stuff back in at least. It was better than having it all in a storage room. She didn't have a bed anymore, so that gave her a convenient excuse to not stay in there.

But now she was supposed to be changing for her first date with Garfield. She had locked herself in her room and fruitlessly searched for something to wear. She didn't even remember when she had gotten so many clothes. She had always collected books, but clothes?

She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. _Have I gained weight?_

She placed a hand on her thighs, completely convinced that they had gotten bigger. She had never been particularly fond of her slightly thick thighs, but now it seemed that they were fat. A wave of her hand and a quick chant brought out her scale, which she warily stepped onto.

 _I've lost three pounds?_ She mused. _I wonder if it from Gar's cooking?_

It was a possibility. Over the past two weeks, he had cooked for her on a number of occasions, though she always ended up stealing food from his plate as well. Three times he had made her vegetarian meals which were really good. She didn't plan on giving up meat anytime soon, but she didn't mind eating like he did every now and then.

 _It must be the clothes, they look terrible on me._ She thought as she stripped them off and stood in front of the mirror in only her small clothes.

That was when it occurred to her that she was once again being self-conscious about the way she looked.

 _By Azar, what is wrong with me?_

She sighed once more and put another set of clothes on, this time a blue blouse and Capri pants. Frowning, she turned this way and that, still unhappy with her choices. She sat down on a box and rubbed her temples. This was a lot harder than she thought. She needed a second opinion.

She went and got her communicator from the bookshelf and sent a call out. Within a minute, a girl with a complexion similar to her own answered the call.

"Hey Raven. Long time no see. What's up?" Jinx said cheerfully. She was pulling her hair back into its usual twin horn-like braids. It looked like she had just showered.

"I need your help with something." Raven said carefully.

"Oh? Let me get Wally, we'll be over in a few minutes."

"NO!"

Jinx looked at her friend, wide eyed. "Is everything okay, Raven? What is it that you need help with?"

Raven felt a blush creeping up her face. "I need help choosing some clothes."

"Clothes? For what?"

"Um…" Raven bit her lip, trying to calm herself down.

Jinx peered into the communicator, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Well? I need to know what kind of occasion this is before I can help you, Raven."

Raven mumbled into the communicator.

"I'm sorry? Say that again a little louder please?" Jinx said slowly.

Raven sighed and gave up trying to hide her blush. "I'm going on my first date with Beast Boy."

Jinx stared at her without blinking for a full minute before speaking. "Open a portal."

Raven obliged her. Jinx came through immediately, then paused and stuck her head back through for a moment. When she turned back to Raven, her eyes were sparkling with a cat-like curiosity.

"Don't say it." Raven glared as Jinx opened her mouth. Her pink-haired friend laughed and started rifling through the few boxes of clothes Raven had.

"Blue, blue, blue, black, purple, blue, blue…" Jinx sighed a moment later. "I need to take you shopping."

"Why? I have enough clothes that don't get worn as it is."

"So you'll have something nice to wear on the rest of your dates with your new man!"

Raven opened her mouth to argue and then closed it. It wasn't really a bad idea. Heck, it was better than asking Starfire, who would undoubtedly want to get her something pink. At least Jinx had a similar taste in clothes.

"So…how did it happen?" Jinx asked casually, tossing a shirt to the side.

"I'm not sure. It just did."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really." Raven sighed, exasperated already.

"Look, you can't just say that. We were enemies for a couple of years, Raven, and now we're friends. As long as I've known you, you've never had a soft spot for him. There's got to be some _thing_ , some _reason_ , that you fell for him."

"I don't know Jinx. I really don't."

Jinx stopped searching for clothes for a moment and looked at her friend. "There's got to be _something_ that he or you did. Nothing at all comes to mind?"

Raven bit her lip in thought. "I don't know if they really count, but there's been more than a few times that he's been at my side during some rough times. He and Cyborg once visited my mind via an enchanted mirror. After that, he understood me a lot better. Then there was the time I summoned what I thought was a trapped sorcerer from an enchanted book, a guy I almost fell in love with. Turns out he was an evil dragon that wanted to kill us all. After we beat him, Garfield came to my side again to comfort me. And this one time he and Adonis got chemically altered into some kind of monstrous beasts and he spent the whole time protecting me from Adonis until they were cured. Time after time, battle after battle, he always came and checked up on me. Even after that stuff with Trigon, he told me that even if I wasn't happy with being born that he and the others were. He's always been so stupid and immature…but he's always been at my side too, always trying to get me to come hang out with the others, always telling me the lamest jokes there is, always trying to get me to eat some of that gross tofu. Even though I've abused him so much he still stayed by me. I've hit him, I've yelled at him, I've thrown him around, I've insulted him time and time and time again…and yet he kept coming back, unwilling to give up on me. I think…I think that's why I…" She trailed off, staring at the floor in thought.

Jinx knew it was probably a bit deeper than that, but she didn't push it. Raven had told her a lot more than she thought she did.

 _Time to change to the mood_ , She thought as she rooted through another box.

She stopped and held up one of Raven's black bras, her eyes widening. "Hold on, you're a 36C? You don't look like that when wearing your uniform!"

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's because I hide it with the uniform and my cloak. I'm not particularly fond of my breasts."

 _Or my thighs,_ she said silently to herself.

"You've got assets and you don't want to use them? I bet Beast Boy likes them, eh?" Jinx pointed to her much smaller chest. "I'd love to have these puppies grow a bit."

Raven ignored the jibe. "Trade?"

"I would in a heartbeat." Jinx laughed. "But Wally likes them as they are."

Raven looked at her friend in surprise. "You two are intimate?"

The pink haired witch nodded. "Yeah, for a little bit now. It's great, when we're careful."

"Gar and I just started dating, so…"

Jinx bunched up a shirt she was holding and hit Raven in the face with it. "I already know what happened between you two. You can't deny it either, 'cause I went to your room before we left that night to try to save Beast Boy from getting killed by you in the morning."

Before Raven could express her reoccurring surprise and embarrassment, Jinx bit her lip. "You two were going at it hard. I could hear you outside the room. Honestly Raven? It was so hot sounding that I had to hurry Wally somewhere quiet so I could have some alone time with him."

Raven buried her face in her shirt.

Jinx stared silently at her darker haired magical friend until she had calmed enough to pull her face out of the shirt. Then she walked over and sat next to Raven. "Look, I think it's great to see you like this."

"Embarrassed as hell?!"

"No, you look happy to me."

"Happy?" Raven echoed the word, thinking of all the time she had spent with Garfield recently. There was a tightening in her chest, making it harder to breathe, as she thought of waking up next to him every morning. She shuddered as the goosebumps from memories of his skin touching hers skittered across her body.

"Raven…where is your bed?" Jinx asked suddenly, looking around.

Raven didn't answer her, but instead got up and started pacing the room. She started half talking, half mumbling to herself, clearly nervous about the first date.

Jinx didn't miss that Raven had avoided answering. She pulled up her communicator and sent a call to Cyborg, who answered after a moment.

"Hey Cy, is Beast Boy ready yet?"

He looked startled. "Woah, hey Jinx, didn't expect you to call. I'm guessing you're helping Raven?"

"Yeah…though helping is a strong term right now."

"I hear ya. Grass stain here is pacing the room in a half dressed nervous mess."

Jinx glanced up at Raven, who had taken her shirt off and tossed it to the side and started pacing again. "Sounds familiar. Twenty minutes then."

"I'll have him ready by then. Make sure it she brings a good coat, it started snowing again."

Jinx nodded and then cut the call. She stared at Raven hard before an evil smile spread across her face.

Raven stopped, a shiver of dread running down her spine. She turned to her friend, who was digging vigorously through a box of clothes. She watched as Jinx pulled out a number of things, then started comparing them, mumbling and muttering the whole time.

Raven wondered if it was a bad idea to call the young witch to help her. Jinx stopped and turned suddenly, the evil grin still plastered across her face.

"Ohhhh Raaavvveeennnnn….come here!"

* * *

"Look BB, I'm telling you it will be fine! It looks great on you bro, I'm sure Raven will think so too."

Garfield stopped in front of his mirror for the umpteenth time and stared at himself. He was wearing his black pants and purple long sleeved shirt with an UnderArmour shirt under it. He didn't have many clothes (let alone nice clothes) to begin with. His confidence was flagging badly.

"I dunno dude, I just don't think it's good enough." His shoulders sagged.

"Look man, it's snowing outside, you only have so many options that aren't freaking freezing or goofy." Cyborg groaned.

"I know Vic, but I still don't…"

Cyborg got up and clapped his hand on his best friends shoulder. "Look Garfield. Neither you nor Raven has done much, if _any_ , dating, let alone dressing up. I'm willing to bet my copy of Munchkin Masher that she's just as wrung out as you are right now."

Garfield sighed and opened his mouth to argue when Cyborg cut him off, now giving his buddy the one little push he needed. "Seriously bro. You'll be fine. You got this man. Sweep her off her feet, if you haven't already."

Garfield looked up to his best friend, his brother, his team mate. He took a deep breath. "Alright, I'm ready."

* * *

Raven bit her lip in disbelief when she met Garfield in the common room. His clothes were as casual as hers, but something about him was so attractive that she couldn't meet his gaze. She could only turn away blushing.

Perhaps it was the fact that he was there to take _her_ , of all people, out on a date?

Garfield was in a similar boat. Raven was standing before him in a long black and blue plaid skirt that ended just above her shoes, a dark blue crop top with a black long sleeved undershirt beneath it, and black winter jacket with white fur on the hood. He knew the fur was fake so it didn't bother him the slightest.

But she was so beautiful that he couldn't keep his eyes off of her or the blush from his own face.

Cyborg stepped between the awkward teenagers and handed his buddy a purple and black jacket.

"You two know where you're going yet?" He asked, looking from one to the other. They both looked dumbly up at him. He ran his hand down his face in exasperation. "Seriously guys? You're going out on a date and you have NO idea where you're going?

Both of them shook their heads, to which Jinx snorted and poked Beast Boy in the shoulder. "Here's what you're gonna do. First, take her somewhere nice for lunch, since it's almost time for it anyways. Then, take her somewhere nice and quiet, like a bookstore or something. After that, maybe the park."

Beast Boy nodded vigorously, but Raven frowned. "Hold on Jinx, this is about _both_ of us. We should do something Gar likes too, it wouldn't be fair to him if it's stuff just for me."

"You know he'd pick an arcade or comic shop, right?" Jinx raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"I'm sure we can find something he likes that I'm okay with." Raven said adamantly.

"Come on, Raven, this is the first date! He's supposed to spoil you rotten and stuff!"

It was Raven's turn to cross her arms and she glared at her friend. "I'm not some girl that needs spoiling from her man. A relationship is two people treating each other as equals, not elevating one or the other on some kind of pedestal. Living together, laughing together, eating together, and crying together, the whole nine yards. It's one thing to treat your significant other as special, but to smother them in unbelievable amounts of attention like that…it's not for me. I like doing thing separately with him beside me."

Cyborg, Jinx, and Beast Boy all stared at her. Garfield was blushing something fierce, but it didn't work with his verdant complexion at all. Jinx put her hands up and backed away.

"Alright Raven, you win. I can't argue that."

Raven nodded and turned back to her date. He had started fiddling with his jacket.

"Wow Rae, I didn't know you thought of it so seriously." He said quietly.

She could feel herself turning crimson again, but she took a deep breath and held her hand out for his.

"It's only been a couple of weeks, but we've come too far for me to not take this seriously." She said softly. "And Gar…if we can make this date relatively quiet, I would appreciate it."

He gave her a smile that made her heart beat madly as he took her hand. They walked through a portal together, leaving Jinx and Cyborg behind. However, Kid Flash arrived just a moment later.

"Hey Cy. How's it hanging?" He asked before turning to his girlfriend. "Hey babe, ready to go?"

Jinx ignored Wally for a moment. "Cyborg, I'm not entirely following what's going on. How did they hook up after they hooked up?"

The tin man shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure _how,_ but I know that B's been crushin' on Raven for a _long_ time. Heck, I don't even really know _when_ he fell for her, just that when he did he fell _hard_. It's weird in a lot of ways. Raven has been pretty harsh to him at times over the past couple of years, but at the same him comforted him when he needed it. After that funk with Terra, it was _Raven_ , of all people, who went and pulled him out of his funk."

"That…that is pretty weird." Jinx rubbed her chin in thought, watching Wally as he raided the fridge.

"It gets weirder." Cyborg shook his head. "I was doing some thinking and reviewing old mission footage when I noticed something. Raven and Beast Boy actually spent _more time at each other's side_ than Rob and Star. I'm not talking recently either. I've talking over the past couple of _years_. Battle after battle, they would check up on each other. During fights they covered each other more than anyone else."

Wally walked up, half a sandwich in his hand. "So what? Friends help each other out, don't they?"

Cyborg shook his head. "It was more than that; I just don't think they realized it. Their personalities clash so much you couldn't tell, but they were really close. It makes me think of what happened with Adonis."

"That's the second time I've heard of that. What happened?" Jinx sat on the head of the couch.

"Man, that was a really screwed up day. We went to this chemical plant and found out it was testing chems on animals, which really made BB mad. While we were there, Adonis ambushed us. I won't lie, he's pretty damn tough. He took everything we had and kept plowing through it, badmouthing BB the whole time. Then after he pinned Raven down and started talking nasty to her, the string bean got _pissed_. He opened the biggest can of butt-whoop I've ever seen him open. But him and Adonis got covered in the chemicals during the fight. We didn't realize it, but it immediately started messing with our little buddy. He got crazy aggro over a couple of days, eating meat and smashing up the workout room like it was paper. Right after that, he flipped out and transformed into a suped-up beast that was just…crazy."

"Crazy?"

"Yeah, _crazy_ crazy. It took me, Rob, and Star going all out just to get him to _back down._ "

Jinx and Wally looked wide eyed at their cybernetic friend. He shook his head. "It was bad enough that stunning him was the only option. If we had tried lethal force…he probably would have killed us without hesitating. Raven was missing during all of this and we had found her in BB's jaws, which is why we attacked him. We thought he had done something to her, but turns out the green bean was _protecting_ her from Adonis, who had _also_ turned into a beast like that. BB beat the _hell_ outta Adonis again, though. While both of them were passed out, I made an antidote and gave it to both of them."

Cy sighed. "All that messed with my buddy real bad. He didn't say it, but he was thinking of quitting the team to protect us from that beast inside of him. I couldn't get him to talk to me, Rob couldn't, Star couldn't…but Raven? She went right on down to where BB was sulking and talked him out of his funk. _Again._ "

"Wow…I didn't know they were that close." Jinx shook her head.

"You know…I don't think they knew it either."

Wally walked up again, this time eating a bag of popcorn. As he munched on a handful, he pointed at Cyborg. "Hold on, doesn't Raven like, hit him and stuff? I heard she threw him in the bay a while back."

"Actually, that doesn't happen very often. It's just when he _really_ irritates her that she does something. She threw him in the bay, yeah, but that was her powers reacting to her irritation, not her actually throwing him in. But she blames herself for throwing him in anyways. About 95% of the stuff between them is just verbal. As for the other 5%...well, they always apologize and mean it."

Jinx grabbed a handful of popcorn from her boyfriend and chewed it thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, isn't she the almost always the first to respond to one of his bad jokes? Like, almost every time, without fail?"

Cy hesitated. "You know…I think you're right."

"So in her case…when did it turn into something more? She has no idea, I know that much."

"I'm not sure, but after these past couple of weeks…I don't think she's gonna want to go back to the way things were."

Cyborg turned to the yellow speedster. "And you know, Wally, if Raven ever finds out who spiked the punch bowl, she might just send him to another dimension."

"I feel bad for that guy." Wally said, not looking at Vic. Jinx slid her gaze between her boyfriend and Cyborg, who was glaring intensely at the backside of the yellow hero. Jinx wondered to herself how long it was before she was forcibly made single.

Nobody noticed Starfire standing quietly in the doorway.

* * *

Raven peeked up from her book, almost bursting with happiness that her new boyfriend was sitting quietly next to her reading a book about Africa. She had been surprised at his choice, but he just smiled and shrugged.

"I figured reading up on home might be nice."

The café was a nice one, located just a couple of streets from the main roads in Jump City. She'd been there many times over the past few years. There were around two dozen shelves scattered about the first and second floors, a small coffee/desert shop on the bottom, and a balcony as well. She had even been there once with Gregory, the goth guy she had gone on two dates with before he had stood her up on a third and avoided her afterwards. It had hurt her and made her withdraw from people even more around that time, but the verdant fool next to her had noticed immediately and done what he could to bring her back out around people. Of course, that was almost two months ago, far before Garfield and she had had that little mishap.

"Hey Gar?"

"Hm?"

"Whatcha reading?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and glanced as she leaned over on his shoulder to see what he was reading. It wasn't like her to use slang like he did. It wasn't the first time she had done so recently, and while he found it to be pretty cute it was also slightly unnerving. It was almost like some of his habits were rubbing on her.

But here he was reading a book, so maybe their habits were rubbing off on each other.

"Nothing specific, really. Just browsing through all the stuff in here." He smiled and tapped his head against hers gently. "Though I was just reading up on a bunch of on various tribes around the continent, like various hunting strategies they use, marriage rituals and ceremonies, economics and bartering systems, stuff like that."

It was Raven's turn to glance at him now. That was a serious line of thinking he was implying there, she was surprised his usually hollow skull wasn't about to explode with overthinking.

"Marriage rituals? Why would you read up on those?" She gave him a questioning look, to which he just shrugged and laughed.

"It was just part of that section, talking about the practices that various tribes do when an individual courts another. Some had trading pacts involving cattle, some involved marrying outside the tribe, stuff like that." He flipped to the next page. "Heck, there was one tribe where when a man or woman wants to marry another, they danced in front of the entire tribe to show their devotion to that individual."

Raven was suddenly hit by a nagging feeling in the back of her skull, like there was something that she was forgetting about. Something important.

Something _very_ important.

"Hey Rae…as much as I like you sitting there looking at me, it's weird to see you not blink."

Raven snapped back from her thoughts and found herself looking straight into his emerald green eyes, hardly two inches of space between them now. She blushed and turned away, as did he. But his eyes weren't hiding his embarrassment.

His eyes were looking around the café diligently, looking for some sign that Raven's emotions were out of control. Before the incident, something like what had just happened would have made objects nearby explode or worse.

But now…nothing.

Nothing at all. No exploding bookshelves, disintegrating books, no screaming people…just nothing. It was both a relief and concerning. His thoughts turned inward as he attempted to start reading again.

 _This is weird. Raven's been all kinds of crazy odd since that night. She's still got her powers but nothing happens when she feels anything. She got mad at me this morning and nothing blew up. She's always so adorably red-faced when she wakes up next to me and nothing blows up. She embarrassed right now and nothing is happening!_

 _What's going on with Raven?_

Raven got up suddenly and headed towards the café, stopping to look back at him. "I'm getting some tea. Want something?"

"Hot chocolate, please."

She turned to hide her smile at his politeness and went to the counter. Garfield's eyes followed her, still in awe of seeing her in something other than her leotard. The skirt really suited her and so did the shirts. She had the same mysterious feel to her, but it was more of a " _You can look but never touch_ " kinda feeling now.

It was also kind of funny because he was used to seeing those long shapely legs of hers and nothing else but her eyes, and now he wasn't seeing any leg and plenty of everything else. The way the shirts hugged her chest made him a little fidgety, but he had done pretty well on squashing that instinct before anything came of it. But as he stared at her…

 _I want to wrap my arms around her, breathe in her scent, to kiss her, to feel the touch of her soft skin, to hear her breath in my ear as I nibbled on her delicate neck…_

He hesitated as he realized where his thoughts were headed.

 _Wooooah now, let's calm it down dude, this dang sure ain't the place for that and its waaay too early for that kind of thing._

He took deep breaths for a minute, calming himself with the scent of books, which his mind had long since associated with Raven. By this time she had returned and he accepted the hot chocolate graciously, taking a hearty swig of the drink to calm his jumpy nerves even more. His girlfriend on the other hand, took a deep breath of her tea before she sipped it. The small smile on her face gave away her satisfaction before she picked her book back up and leaned against him.

They spent several more hours there before Garfield started getting restless. He was unused to sitting still for so long but he had endured it the best he could for Raven's sake. His inner animal was getting fidgety, wanting to go out and about instead of sitting around reading. It didn't help that he was hungry, either.

As he was contemplating on what he'd rather be doing right now he noticed a group of teenagers walk in. They were high schoolers; he knew that from the uniform. The uniform looked familiar, but he couldn't place it.

And then she walked in.

* * *

Raven snapped to attention when Garfield flinched. Her eyes followed his to the teenagers who had walked in, then to the girl in the back. Long blonde hair, big blue eyes, skinny and no figure whatsoever.

 _Terra._

 _That little bitch._

Without realizing it, Raven took his arm and wrapped it up and over her shoulders and snuggled into his side. He glanced at her in surprise, but her eyes were still glued to Terra when she spoke quietly to him.

"Gar, that girl looks remarkably similar to Terra." Her voice quivered with a mixture of disbelief and irritation.

"That's because it _is_ Terra." He said in a simple and completely apathetic way.

"How do youknow that?"

"Remember a little while after we beat the Brotherhood and we fought that white monster thing?" He sighed. "Well ya see, thing is, I ran into her about that time. I was pretty shocked and tried to get her to come back with me, but she couldn't remember anything about any of us at all. I kept trying and trying and trying…but nothing worked. Eventually, I gave up and moved on."

Raven stared at him, her expression as unreadable as it used to be. She was silent for what felt like a long time before she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for being honest. I appreciate it a lot."

"I just got you, Rae. I'm not going to do anything to lose you." He smiled at her so warmly that she couldn't hide her smile as she snuggled more into him.

"Hey…isn't that Beast Boy and Raven?"

Both of the teen superheroes looked up at the sound of the voice. It was a brunette girl in the group of teens and she was pointing at them. The whole group turned as one and stared at the snuggling couple before huddling around a bookshelf. Whispers flooded Garfield's hearing.

" _Ohmygosh, when did that happen?"_

" _I thought they hated each other?"_

" _That's not fair that he's with that creepy chick, he's cute."_

" _You think he's cute? He's green like vomit and has pointy ears like some kind of freak!"_

" _He's still more attractive that that creepy goth bitch at his side. You've seen how harsh she is to the people that call her friend."_

A low and angry growl began to reverberate in the room, causing the teens and many other patrons to turn wide eyed in the direction of the two heroes.

"He can hear you." Raven said darkly as the lights in the room all began to flicker and fade. The shadows seemed to deepen and stretch out like clawed hands as the high schoolers backed away in fear.

"Excuse me Miss Raven, but can I ask you to calm down a bit?" A voice called out.

Raven looked to the man who jogged up, his dark hair flopping over his eyes and his uniform sporting a fresh coffee stain. She looked around and saw what she was causing. Taking a deep breath, she chanted for a few moments as she calmed down. Garfield had stopped growling, but his eyes were anything but friendly.

"Now, may I ask what is bothering you?" The man looked at Garfield more warily than he did at Raven, much to her unspoken amusement.

"I don't care if they talk bad about me, but _they will not_ badmouth Raven." Garfield turned his glare towards the shop owner for a moment before returning his gaze to the source of his anger.

Before Raven could protest, the shop owner strode away to the high schoolers and said in a loud voice. "I do apologize ladies and gentlemen, but you'll have to leave now, you are disturbing the other patrons."

"WHAT?" One of them yelled.

"We have to leave because the freaks are mad?!" Spat another.

The manager's eyes turned nasty as he scolded the girls. "Have any of you brats ever saved my store, my life, and my home city? No? Didn't think so. So you can take your unbiased hatred and leave. You may come back when you have learned to respect people who are different!"

The teens left in a huff, except Terra, who apologized to the manager for the way her friends were. She too left the store after letting her gaze linger on Beast Boy and Raven. She felt a familiar tug towards them, but it was so faint she barely noticed it. Without looking back she left, never to encounter them again.

The store owner strode back up to the couple, who were looking at him in awe.

"What?" He asked, looking at them.

Garfield shook his head. "Sorry…it's just that nobody has ever stood up for us being different except each other."

"Like I said, Miss Raven has saved my store several times over the past few years and I am eternally grateful. This store is my life and it wouldn't be here without her. You and your friends have saved my home city from all sorts of nasty monsters and people over the years too. What kind of person would I be if I turned you away simply because you're green or she has magical powers?" He shook his head. "All this hate in the world is ridiculous."

"Well…thanks dude. Seriously." Beast Boy smiled at the man, feeling his bad mood wash away almost instantly.

"Mr. Jean, there's another part to that truth, isn't there?" Raven sipped from her tea as she stared at him.

Mr. Jean shifted from one foot to the other, then shook his head and laughed. "Can't fool you, huh? Yes, there's more. Business picked up when people started seeing you come in here to buy books. I can't deny I enjoy the unintentional advertisement!"

Raven gave the man a small smile. "I don't mind it either, Mr. Jean. You've kept a good selection of books as long as I've been in town. The only things you don't carry are magical and occult tomes, but I wouldn't expect or ask you to, those things can be dangerous."

"Thank you Miss Raven. I'll leave you two to your books now."

Raven and Garfield waved the man goodbye as he returned to the counter. Gar turned to his girlfriend and gave her a smug grin.

"You were being protective of me!"

Raven stared at her book and replied in her traditional monotone. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Garfield."

He laughed, only to be interrupted by the loud growl of his stomach. Raven stopped reading and looked at her verdant lover.

"You must be hungry." She asked in a sarcastic but affectionate way as his stomach growled again.

"Hahaha….yeah. I have been for a while."

"Why didn't you tell me that? You know your genetics is more demanding of energy than anyone else's on the team." Raven closed her book after marking it, then opened a small portal and deposited the book on their nightstand.

"I know I know, that's why I'm always eating. Gotta stock up on carbohydrates and everything else I can so that…." He trailed off, staring at her. "Wait. How did you know how my metabolic process works? I haven't told anyone about that."

Her expression went from disbelief to confusion, her mouth opening and shutting several times. "I don't know, maybe I heard it from Cyborg? Where did you learn to use the words carbohydrates and metabolic without your head exploding?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, maybe I heard it from Rob? He's the exercise nut."

They both stared at each other for a moment before Raven shook her head. "I'll figure it out later. Let's go eat."

"Right behind you babe." Garfield grinned.

Raven stopped and looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Too soon?" Her boyfriend smiled meekly. He was absolutely adorable but she wasn't going to tell him that. Instead, she took his hand in hers and walked out with him as she pondered the affectionate name. He knew that she was thinking and let her lead the way as they silently wandered around looking for food.

Suddenly Raven stopped, looking up at the sign of an Indian restaurant. She let go of his hand and opened the door.

"Hold on." She said as she walked in. Garfield leaned against a street sign, aware of all the passing people gawking at him. Raven popped her head out after about two minutes.

"Let's eat here; they have vegetarian dishes you can eat and you still have that duel with Control Freak in a while."


	5. One Little Surprise

"You've got to be kidding me. THIS is where the duel is?"

They were standing outside a shop that read:

JACK'S CARDS, TABLETOPPING, VIDEO RENTAL, AND COMICS!

Garfield smiled. "Yep."

Raven turned to him, thoroughly irritated. "You need to explain. _Now_."

"It'll be easier to explain inside."

"Garfield…."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Come on Rae…trust me?"

She stared at him hard for several minutes as she mentally ran through worst case scenarios in her head. Eventually, she sighed. "Okay Gar, I'll trust you. Don't make me regret it."

"I won't, it'll be fun." His smile stretched from side to side on his face. "Well, I'll try to make it fun for you, at least. I just need you to do one thing…"

"And that would be?"

"Pull up your jacket and lower your hood so that the only thing can be seen is your eyes?"

Raven balked. "You want me to hide? Why?"

"I was thinking…"

Her shoulders sagged and her face fell. "Are you ashamed to be seen with me in public? I know I'm not the nicest of people but…"

The rest of Raven's sentence was cut off as Garfield wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so close that they were nose to nose.

She blushed hard. "Garfield, what are you doing?! Stop! We're in public-"

"Raven!" He interrupted her. "Don't you _ever_ think that I'm ashamed of you, in public or in private! I'm proud of whom you are and that we're together! You're _mine_ now and I'll show you off every time I get a chance!"

Her blush deepened after he spoke whispered softly to her. "Besides, you're the only person in the world whose opinion matters to me now."

Raven nodded mutely and he let her go. Silently, she zipped the jacket up and lowered her hood. Before she could ask why she was doing this, a nasally voice spoke up.

"Heya Beast Boy. You here for tonights game?"

Raven turned to see the newcomer and her eyes widened. _It was See-More!_

She turned back to Garfield and was about to demand answers when her boyfriend put a finger where her lips were and whispered. "Hold on, it'll get better. Then you can take the hood off."

To See-More, he said. "Heck yeah man, sorry I missed last game. I had something pretty important going on."

Raven looked back at the villain and studied him. He was in blue jeans and a green t-shirt with a thick coat on, the coat being white with green decal on it. He had on his headpiece, his one eye in its standard non-attack, non-effect green.

See-More stopped and looked at her, his one eye questioning. He reached up towards the headpiece, likely to change to X-ray vision.

"Hey!" Beast Boy snapped. "No powers or abilities! We all made that agreement when this started."

See-More chuckled. "Sorry BB. I was curious about this girlfriend of yours Eugene mentioned, I couldn't believe the news. Hiya, I'm Seymour, also known as See-More, formerly of the Hive Five!"

Raven glanced at the verdant figure next to her as she shook Seymour's hand, confused beyond belief. _Formerly? What the hell is going on?_

"She don't talk much, huh?" Seymour laughed.

"Well look at her, she's cold!" Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go inside and make introductions and see what Eugene wants tonight."

Raven silently followed Seymour and Garfield into the store, which was packed with bookshelves, shelves, and tables. There must have been hundreds of fantasy and sci-fi books, comics, figurines, manga, anime, rental videos, posters, trading cards, and various paraphernalia. She looked around at all the stuff in there, seeing similar posters and figurines that once adorned the room she stayed in now. There was a counter and register attached to a long glass display case that housed hundreds of cards, each in a little plastic sleeve to protect it. On the other side of the counter was a tall and spindly man with red-turning gray hair, big glasses, and a long nose. He must have been in his 40's.

"Howdy Beast Boy, good to see you again!" He wheezed as he ran a rag over the counter. "Been a while, eh?"

"Yessir, Mr. Jack. I've been a bit busy the past few weeks, sorry I couldn't come by and say hey."

Seymour kept walking after waving to Mr. Jack, who eyeballed Raven and Beast Boy. He raised an eyebrow. "So this is the girlfriend that Eugene said you had, eh? About time you two kids got together."

Raven and Beast Boy turned to each other, confused. How could he know?

Mr. Jack laughed. "Go on, Eugene and the others are waiting on you in the back room. Just don't get rowdy like you did when Lady Nevermore took control of her clan, you scared out two new customers."

Beast Boy could feel Raven's questioning stare as he silently led her to the back room, which was just a simple room with several chairs, a couch on one side, and a large table.

The inhabitants of the room, on the other hand, were most certainly _not_ what she was expecting. Sitting at the end of the table was the fat and balding ginger haired villain known as Control Freak. He was stuffing his face with pork rinds as he argued with a guy that had curly black hair, big nose, and beady eyes. To the left of Control Freak was Seymour, who had taken his jacket off and tossed it in the corner.

Control Freak stopped his argument immediately when they entered and stared at them. "By the movie gods, you actually did it. You got a girlfriend."

"See?" Garfield smugly stated. "Let's see you top that, Eugene."

Eugene got up and darted over towards them, his eyes questionably inspecting Raven. "So tell me, what kind of girl is hiding under that jacket? A blonde beauty? An Asian gem? A lovely Latina? Is it Starfire?"

"What? Dude, no. I'd never date Star, that's gross; she's like a sister to me." Garfield's face scrunched up disgustedly before he looked to the only seat that would be empty. "Where's…"

"He should be here any minute." Seymour said as he got comfortable in his chair.

"Hey guys, I'm not late am I?" A voice spoke up. Raven turned and kept right on turning as she saw who walked in. Now she was angrily glaring at Garfield, who was confused. He smiled meekly.

Suddenly desiring to change the mood of the room, he cleared his throat. "Okay guys, sit down and get comfortable and I'll introduce you to my girl."

He looked at the couch. "Er wait, where did that come from?"

Control Freak, aka Eugene, sprouted an evil grin. "I thought it'd be soooo sweet if you and your girl sat together."

"You should quit with the jokes while you're ahead, _Eugene._ " Raven said coldly as her magic ripped her jacket from her. It folded itself via magic and landed gently on the back of the couch. She crossed her arms and glared at the collected boys in front of her.

Control Freak, wide eyed and fearful, nudged See-More. "Tell me that isn't Raven."

See-More reached up and cycled through several visions on his headset before returning to the normal one. He turned to Control Freak, a grim look on his face. "That's her alright. Looks like we're about to die."

"Awww maaaaaaaan!" Eugene whined and grabbed his head. "I totally lost 40 bucks in an online bet."

Raven looked at Seymour and stared him down. "Keep your eye to yourself, _Seymour._ "

He looked down at the table and nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Next, she looked at Eugene, who had his head on the table mumbling. She rolled her eyes and moved to the next one in line, the curly haired guy. "Who are you?"

Without moving his head from a comic in front of him, he looked up at her. "I'm Devin."

There wasn't any kind of hostile intent, interest, or anything from Devin, so Raven settled her gaze on the last guy who entered.

"Hello Gregory." She stated flatly.

"Hey Raven. How's it going?"

She took a moment to stare in disdain at the long haired goth guy. He didn't look up at her, just steadily stared at the table. She snorted and turned her glare towards Garfield, who was standing beside her nervously.

"Well? Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" She demanded.

"Well…you see Rae…"

"Don't 'Rae' me, you're in trouble!" She grabbed his ear and pinched it as her eyes split into four crimson shards of anger. "These are _villains_ , Garfield, ones that should be _frozen_. And an asshole!"

"I can explain! Honest!" He yelped. "Please let go of my ear!"

After letting him squirm and whimper for a minute, she let go and massaged her temple as a headache started to form. She sighed and waited for her eyes to return to their normal hue before turning and walking out the door.

Garfield only just managed to stop her at the store's front door. "Wait, Raven, please!"

"I'm coming back Gar, I just need a cup of tea." She sighed again, albeit irritably.

"I know, but it's cold out and you don't know your way around this area. I do, so let me go get it for you so you can stay in here in the warmth."

She arched an eyebrow. "You do understand that I'm not one to be coddled, right?"

"Yeah, I know Rae, but I still want to get it for you. I gotta try at least _something_ to make up for irritating you. Please?" His ears drooped and there was a small frown on his face. He was absolutely adorable but she wasn't going to tell him that.

Instead, she sighed once more. "Alright, but I'm not going back in there until I have my tea."

Gar nodded vigorously and darted out the door, hanging a hard left.

"How long will it take him to get the tea? The coffee shop is only a few stores down." Mr. Jack asked as he rummaged for something behind the counter.

"Well, it's cold out so there might be a line. But I have a feeling it won't take long. Why?" Raven peered at the man cautiously. Beast Boy might know him, but he was a total stranger to her.

He snickered. "Come here and see. Your boyfriend doesn't know his order arrived yet."

Raven walked over to the counter and looked at the shoe box that Mr. Jack had laid on the counter. He took the top off and Raven gasped. Inside was a statuette of her, barely a foot in height. Mr. Jack took it out gently and set it on the counter for Raven to study it.

The base was about three inches thick in height, six wide, and was made out of some dark stone. It had been carved to resemble her dark magic swirling up around her shins. The statuette had on a pair of knee-high gothic boots on top of tight blackish-blue pants, a matching corset that showed only a bit of a cleavage to a bust that was fairly close to Raven's own size, a dark blue hooded cloak, and a gothic style necklace with a red gem in it. The cloak was swirling about the figurine and there was a curious looking gem that enveloped each of her hands, delicately placed to resemble her magic.

She looked to the face and found it resembled her own remarkably, even though it also looked like she was a few years older than Raven. Her violet hair was long, reaching at least halfway down her back. It seemed the iris's of eyes of the statuette had been made of some purple gem, giving them a sort of glow that resembled the way her eyes glowed when she used her magic. The red and black bindi on her forehead matched Ravens', but with a small red gemstone inset. The skin tone matched hers perfectly.

"What is this?" She whispered.

"Don't you know? This is Lady Nevermore." The older man smiled and tilted the figurine just a bit so Raven could read the name at the base of the statue. It had been carved and filled in with some sort of white-silver metal and had been written in a lovely cursive font.

"Who is Lady Nevermore?" Raven asked in awe. "What is this made out of?"

"Weeeelll, that's up to him to tell you _who_ it is. But I can tell you most of what it's made of. The base is pure obsidian; the letters on the front are platinum. The gems around the hands are black diamonds and mystic topaz carefully fit together, the gems in the eyes are purple sapphires, the little red stone on the forehead is a black opal, and the necklace is a pure ruby. I don't quite know what the figurine itself is made out of, but it's pretty sturdy. And it is _very_ expensive."

She silently watched him put it back in the box and put the box away. Before she could ask any more questions, Garfield walked back in with two cups. He handed her the tea and turned to Mr. Jack, sipping the hot chocolate in his hand.

"Sorry about the ruckus, Mr. Jack."

"It's alright Beast Boy, I was shocked when you kids started hanging out here too. Your girlfriend here also just apologized and said that she thought she might have over-reacted a little bit."

Garfield looked to Raven in surprise. "Really Rae?"

She nodded before sipping her tea, catching on to the little lie immediately. "Maybe just a little bit. Don't call me Rae, though, I'm still mad at you."

"Alright Raven." He bumped his shoulder against hers gently. "Do you want to go back in there?"

She pondered for a moment before taking a step towards the room. "Yes. I want some answers."

* * *

The room was quiet for several minutes after the teenaged hero couple sat down on the couch. The tension in the air was so think you could have cut it with a bladeless butter knife. Raven sighed and cleared her throat.

"Alright, let's go ahead and cut to the chase. What's going on here?"

"The five of us meet here every once in a while to play table top role playing games, card games, and sometimes video games." Garfield sipped his hot chocolate as he spoke, keeping an eye on his confusing girlfriend.

"The Hive Five and Control Freak were frozen in the final battle against the Brotherhood and we couldn't figure out how they escaped." Raven pointed at Seymour. "How did you escape?"

The cyclops grimaced. "It's a bit of a story, so get comfortable."

He propped his head in his hand and leaned on the table. "When I first woke up, I had no idea what was going on. All I could hear was blasterfire and the sound of people getting hit. It took me a few minutes to clear my head, but when I could focus, I saw that Red X had let me go and was battling the guards that I guessed were stationed there to keep us frozen. It was pretty cool to sit there and watch him flip around and beat the guards to a pulp but then he came flipping over to me and demanded that I let more villains out. I ran over to the control panel and just started hitting buttons. Mumbo Jumbo, Mother Mae-Eye, Dr. Light, Plasmus, Cinderblock, Overload, Ding Dong Daddy, Killer Moth, and Eugene here all unfroze. Eugene was sick from being frozen, so I was trying to help him up on his feet when Red X popped back up. He told us that he had been hired by Slade to free as many of us as he could, then he ordered Mumbo and Mae-Eye to hold the east entrance while Plasmus and Cinderblock held the west entrance. Just as he did though, dozens of guards poured in the room from the north entrance, followed by the Doom Patrol and three Leaguers, Metamorpho, Green Arrow, and Shazaam. I couldn't reach the control panel to let the rest of my team out, so I grabbed Control Freak and took off. We made it out without much of a fight, finding Eugene's remote control on our way out too. We made it back to the Hive Five base after about a week. We hacked the jail computer network and found that the jailbreak had been mostly successful, including freeing my friends. The Brain, the gorilla, General Immortus, and Madam Rouge were still frozen though."

He sighed. "But my friends weren't too happy that I left them behind. Mammoth and Gizmo took turns beating the hell out of me and blasting me, saying I was worthless for leaving them. It didn't take long for Billy to join in."

"They were supposed to be your friends, Seymour. Why would you let them do that to you?" Raven shook her head. "That's insane."

He shrugged halfheartedly. "They were the only family I had left. I couldn't just swing back at them and I felt really bad about leaving them behind."

"Family? How could you call that family?"

"The Hive Academy gave me my life back, Raven. I couldn't turn my back on them after that."

Raven raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Gave you your life back? Last time I checked, they liked taking lives away."

Seymour hesitated, looking at Beast Boy, who nodded. "It's up to you dude, but if you want her to believe you and trust what you say, I'd show her."

Before Raven could ask, Seymour reached up and grabbed the dials on either side of his helmet. He rotated them until there was an audible click, then pulled them out and set them down. Afterwards, he grabbed the frontal eye piece and pushed it forward a bit until it clicked, then removed the helmet.

Raven almost threw up her tea.

The upper half of Seymour's head was a mass of old scars and burns. Where his eyes should have been, there were sockets that the eye piece of his helmet plugged into. Where his nose was supposed to be, it was just a hole that had been filled with a sort of battery-like object. His ears were gone completely, only holes where the dials plugged in.

He set the helmet down and turned to Raven, who shuddered.

"When I was 8, I lived in Metropolis. You know, Superman's turf? Yeah, it was pretty cool seeing him fly around and bust bad guys and stuff all the time. He made me want to be a hero someday. I wanted to be a doctor like my dad and save people, to be just as cool as Superman. But then my family and I got caught in a crossfire between Superman and Brainiac. My family died and I was left half dead buried under the rubble. Superman saved me, took me to the hospital, and then left me there. I was so badly injured that the doctors had to keep doing surgery after surgery after surgery. The rest of my family…well…when they saw how high the hospital bills were getting, they abandoned me. They didn't get along with my dad anyways, so they didn't have much reason to save me. They left me blind, deaf, and mute from trauma. I was honestly about to just give up and die when Brother Blood came to me and spoke to me in my mind using some of his tech. He offered me a chance to regain what I had lost and a future opportunity to get back at Superman for ruining my life. Like the stupid kid I was, I jumped right on that train."

Seymour paused his story to put his helmet back on, shivering when it plugged back into his eye sockets and earholes. He blinked a few times, trying to get his vision back into focus. "The rest is pretty much obvious. I joined the Hive Academy, was painfully reconstructed and rehabilitated, came to view them as family, graduated, and joined the Hive Five. But after the whole beating thing I realized they weren't really family either…so I left. I wandered for a while before I ran into Eugene, who helped me find a place to stay. I've been doing odd jobs around town and avoiding the Five, just living day by day. After a while, Eugene and I ran into Beast Boy, who immediately tried to arrest us."

He laughed. "He almost did it too, except me and Eugene weren't fighting back. It threw him off and he started questioning us. Questions turned into talking, talking turned into friendship. We've come here and played games together for almost three months now."

"You aren't worried Hive can track you?" Raven asked, eyeballing his helmet.

Control Freak snorted. "As if! Those lame brains couldn't hide something like that from someone with mad sick skills like I got. I found that chip and fried it."

Raven gave Seymour a skeptical look. "Okay, let's say I believe all that. Why would I believe that you aren't secretly doing villainous and just lying to the honest fool at my side?"

Garfield's protesting was ignored as Seymour shook his head. "I don't have any proof but my word. I haven't done anything. I don't have anything to _do_ and I barely have some place to _go._ I know I couldn't cut it as a solo villain, so I'm just trying to live for now. Getting my butt kicked by you guys was bad enough; getting my butt kicked _badly_ by you guys would just be even more of a downer. "

"So why don't you go back to school, go to college, and become a doctor like you wanted to when you were younger?"

Seymour laughed and pointed to his helmet. "Hard to do those things when you look like this, Raven. Not to mention it takes money and someplace to live. I'm barely scraping by, and if my helmet gets damaged…I'm screwed."

Raven was sipping her tea and quietly mulling this information over when Garfield spoke up.

"Actually, I had an idea about that. Why don't you join us?"

A question mark formed on the eye of Seymour's helmet. "Join who?"

"The Titans. Come be a Teen Titan with us."

The other people in the room stared open mouthed at the verdant shapeshifter. Seymour was the first to recover.

"Me? A Titan? Why?" He choked.

"Dude, you got the skills. Just like you control the battlefield with your mage when we tabletop, you control the battlefield with your helmet. X-ray vision, force shields, eye lasers, quick thinking, and decent hand to hand skills. You legit have the ability to be a Titan. The only hard part would be adjusting to being on the right side of the law. But if Jinx could do it, you can too."

Raven looked up. "Actually, it isn't a bad idea. The Flash started a program to rehabilitate some of the villains he's fought and I know at least 4 of them were successfully reintegrated into society. We could modify it a bit, put you on the team, and then use it to get your education finished and a foot in the door towards a normal life."

Seymour stared at them for a long moment before he gave a sad smile. "If I had tear ducts, I'd be crying right now."

"Don't jump the gun just yet, I'll have to talk to Robin about this." Raven said to him gently. He nodded and smiled. Her gaze slid over to Control Freak, who was eating pork rinds again.

"What? I don't want to be a Titan. I can't be one anyways." He said through a mouthful. "I'm 23."

Raven stared hard at him. "You're a twenty three year old nerdy slob that hangs out with teenagers? Well, aren't you just the definition of creepy?"

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Says the four eyed half demon that's dating a green shapeshifter."

She gave him a humorless smile. "Touché. Now in all seriousness, why aren't you causing trouble?"

"I've been busy." Control Freak said defensively.

"He means he's been writing fanfiction and watching movies to fight his depression." Seymour patted his buddy on the shoulder.

Eugene scowled. "I'm the coolest person I know, I don't get depressed!"

Pointedly ignoring his friend, Seymour continued. "He won't admit it, but he developed cryophobia after being frozen."

"The fear of being frozen? Why?"

"Do you have any idea what it's like being frozen?! Being stuck in the same place, unable to move or think or feel or see or hear or anything at all?! And on top of that, it's _so freaking cold!_ " Eugene practically shrieked, causing Raven's eyes to widen hugely in surprise. He started babbling and shaking so hard it took Seymour and Devin a solid ten minutes to calm him down.

When he had calmed down enough, Control Freak started stuffing his face with pork rinds again. "Look, after Seymour busted me out and brought me back, I started doing some digging. I wanted revenge on being frozen like that, cause _NOBODY MESSES WITH CONTROL FREAK_ , so I tracked down the guys who made the tech that froze me. I found out it was Cadmus Industries, the same guys who are backed by Lex Luthor. I looked through a bunch of their files and found mine, with a note that read ' _When subject is next seized by authorities, take custody of subject and freeze until proper mental rehabilitation can be organized_ '."

He slammed is hands on the table. "They want to freeze me and brainwash me! I won't be frozen again! Never again!"

Raven frowned. "Why would they want _you_?"

"It's his tech, Rae." Garfield frowned too. "Look at what he made just to pester us; a remote that can warp a person into a TV, then alter what's going on in the show, bring lifeless things to life, and even bring stuff out of the show into reality. If they got their hands on that, there'd be a lot of trouble. That's why I talked him into staying out of sight and out of mind until they lose interest in him."

Raven stared at her lover for a long moment, processing what he had said. In truth, she probably could have burst with pride for him.

But she wasn't going to tell him that.

Instead she looked at Devin. "How do you fit in this?"

Devin, who had gone back to reading his comic, pointed vaguely in Control Freak's direction. "Been buds with him for a long time. Figured I'd play too."

"Aren't you just the talkative one?" Raven deadpanned.

"So I've been told."

* * *

Beast Boy glanced nervously between his beautiful girlfriend and the last member of the gaming group. Gregory had been an alright guy in his book, but Raven was practically staring daggers at the goth guy.

"So…I take it you two know each other?" He said carefully.

"Yeah, he stood me up on the third date." Raven said icily. "And then started avoiding me."

Gregory winced. "Sorry Raven…I just couldn't handle the whole superhero thing."

"You could have told me that instead of leaving me in a café for 4 hours!"

Still not meeting her eyes, he nodded. "I know, but…"

"There are no buts, _Gregory._ " She snapped. "I might be a half demon that has to _suppress_ her emotions, but I _still have them._ And you hurt them, a lot."

Garfield wasn't quite sure how to react to all this. It was a completely new situation to him. Before he could comfort his girlfriend, she snapped at Gregory again.

"Let me guess, to escape the terrible demoness, you came here and started playing with these guys?"

"Actually, I was playing with them before our first date. Beast Boy would talk about you all the time so I learned a lot about you. That's when I figured out that you might be a bit too complicated for me to handle. So…" Gregory drummed his fingers nervously on the table. "That last date…I was here…playing with the guys."

Raven groaned. "The guy I had a crush on stood me up to come play games with my future boyfriend? By Azar, this is ridiculous."

Garfield wrapped his arm around her and leaned against her lightly. "Hey now, Rae. I'm sorry it turned out that way, it was totally unintentional. I swear."

The teenage sorceress rubbed her temple for the second time that night. "It's alright Gar, you didn't know either. I'm not happy about all of that, but I guess it's better in the long run since I got a better man out of the deal."

Gregory winced again, but said nothing. He deserved that, after all. Beast Boy, on the other hand, had the _smuggest_ grin you'd ever seen on a person as he wrapped both arms around Raven and hugged her. She looked to him with a small frown and a questioning stare.

"You know you're still in trouble right?"

He sighed and hung his head, but smiled anyways. "Yeah, I know. I'll do what I can to make it up to you."

Raven nodded. "That's right, you will. We'll discuss it when we get back to our room tonight."

Four heads snapped to attention, focusing on the couple on the couch. _Our room?_ The four guys mouthed.

Raven gently pushed Garfield off, then turned back to the other guys in the room. "Alright, so what were we called her for? A duel of some sort? Challenges?"

"Well…we were supposed to play Vampire: The Masquerade, but it wouldn't be fair since you don't know the game…" Seymour said thoughtfully. "We could just play Magic instead."

Control Freak snickered and stared at Beast Boy. "No, I think we should bring Raven into the campaign. It'll be _fun_."

"Come on, dude, don't do this to me." Garfield begged.

"TOO LATE! MWUAHAHAHAHA!" Eugene cackled as he whipped out his remote and clicked a button. Papers buzzed out of the small screen on it, along with several books. One book , in particular, landed in front of Raven along with a blank character sheet. She looked at them, then to Eugene.

"You can spend this session reading the book and learning the game, then make a character…or you can take Beast Boy's character."

"DUDE!"

"As Game Master, I say she can do it!" The ginger man cackled evilly.

Raven, now immensely curious, snatched the paper from her boyfriend's hands. He tried to snatch it back, so she pushed him off the couch so she could inspect the paper. Several things caught her eye immediately.

 _Player Name: Lady Nevermore_

 _Player: Beast Boy_

 _Generation: Elder_

 _Clan: Lasombra_

The information meant little to her, but she kept reading regardless. Lady Nevermore had a variety of abilities including empathy, etiquette, bureaucracy, linguistics, and occult, with high to maxed out points in them. She had high intelligence, average wits, and solid resolve, low strength, high dexterity, and average stamina, average presence, low manipulation, and high composure. She knew multiple languages, had high self-control, was proficient with shadow magic…the list went on.

After she finished scanning the front and back of the paper, she turned to Garfield slowly. He hadn't gotten off the floor and was staring at the carpet as he struggled to hide his embarrassment.

"You…you made me as your character?" She asked him slowly.

"Well…yeah." He smiled sheepishly. "Who better to make than the most beautiful and intelligent girl I know?"

Raven clutched the paper to her chest and mumbled softly. "This is mine now."

Control Freak smiled darkly. "It's settled then! Beast Boy will roll a new toon up and Raven will now play as Lady Nevermore. This session she can sit out and read the guidebook. Beast Boy, you have to be a Gangrel."

"What's a gangrel?" Raven asked, looking at Garfield.

"It's a vampire that shapeshifts into animals!" Seymour laughed.

Beast Boy groaned and shook his head. "I knew that was coming."

Raven couldn't help but to smile and rub his head affectionately. "I expect you to be ready when I call you, my servant."

He raised his eyebrow but smiled too. "Of course, my lady."

"I'm playing a Nosferatu, Devin is a Tremere, and Gregory is a Ravnos." Seymour chuckled. "Getting a new player with an old face and an old player with a new face should be fun!"

* * *

Raven spent the remainder of the session pouring over the book, absorbing as much as she could. The storytelling game was _immensely_ more complex than anything Raven suspected her boyfriend capable of playing. But here he was, playing it and enjoying it.

Well, he wasn't enjoying _this_ particular game.

The others had been giving him hell to repay him for surprising them with Raven's introduction. He had all kinds of problems with getting information out of non-player characters (or NPCs, as they were called), moving around town, and even had an incident where he almost lost himself to something called the Beast Within.

Raven was pretty sure the other four boys had absolutely _no idea_ that Beast Boy had done something like this before, except in reality. The thought made her smile as she watched them play.

 _This is so strange_ , she thought to herself. _There are two ex-villains and a guy I used to like roleplaying with my teammate-turned-boyfriend and I'm legitimately enjoying being part of this. It's actually pretty funny. I feel amazing right now. Is this what it means to be happy? To be able to sit here and smile and laugh at the way they all pick on and tease each other while laughing? To feel his warmth beside me and know that even though he isn't looking at me that I still have his utmost attention if I want it? If I went back in time to a year ago and told myself that all this was happening, how would have I reacted? Scorn? Disdain? Fear? If I had known stuff like this made me feel so wonderful, would I have reached out to my friends sooner? Would I have reached out to Garfield sooner? If this is what it means to feel alive, I wouldn't have wanted it to go away. I know I don't want it to go away now._

She watched him pull some hair out as he failed yet another conversation challenge. It was hard to keep herself from giggling at his reactions when Eugene told him that _another_ mob was forming to chase him.

The door opened softly and Mr. Jack stuck his head in. "Sorry guys and missy, it's almost closing time."

"Yessir Mr. Jack, we'll have this wrapped up shortly!" Beast Boy nodded, as did the others. Eugene tossed the dice down one last time. Raven hid her hands and twitched her fingers, concentrating on the dice. When they stopped rolling, the game master snorted.

"You're so lucky this was a bad roll or you'd have been caught. You successfully escaped _again_ and have hidden from the villagers in a cave, where you will await until your master retrieves you from screwing up even more."

"Finally!" Beast Boy slammed his head on the table.

Raven patted his head and gathered up all the papers and books with a wisp of magic. They stacked neatly and landed on Control Freak's remote, which she turned on and stored the books. Eugene snatched up the remote.

"Hey! Don't touch, its mine!"

Raven smiled. "I didn't touch it at all."

Control Freak grumbled about magic for a minute before he, Devin, and Seymour bid the others farewell and disappeared with a small pop as Eugene put his remote to work. Gregory left without a word, seeing as he hadn't spoken a single thing to Raven since the pre-game discussion.

Raven yawned. "I think it's time for bed. It's been a long day."

Garfield jumped up off the floor and opened the door for her. "After you, my lady."

"I could get used to that." She smiled as she stepped through the portal she opened on the other side of the door. Gar followed right behind her.

They exited into the common room, just to the side of the couch where Robin and Cyborg were playing a roleplaying game, Adventures in Starland. Starfire was sitting next to her boyfriend, eating some yellow berries that nobody had ever seen before.

"Hey guys, how was your date?" Robin asked, looking from the game for a moment.

"Pretty good." Raven yawned again.

"Hey Rae, you gotta stop that, it's contagious!" Garfield struggled mightily to not yawn but failed.

"So are fleas and you got the whole tower covered in them that one time…"

"I said I was sorry about that like a bazillion times!"

"Then there was that time you got the flu but wouldn't stay in your room and got the rest of us sick…"

"Raaaaeeeee!" He whined.

"Oh shut up Gar, I'm just teasing you." She smiled, took his hand in hers, and pointedly looked at him. "I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed now."

"Good idea, its been a long day." Garfield nodded. They left hand in hand.

The door to the common room snapped shut. The sound of the game filled the room for several minutes before Cyborg turned to Robin.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Robin was up and over the couch before Cy could finish. A smirk on his face, he chased after Robin.

* * *

"Wait for it…"

Beast Boy pressed his ear to the bedroom door, listening for sound on the other side. There was a quiet thump, the sound of Cy's feet when he was trying to sneak around.

Gar smiled and mouthed to Raven. "It's them! Ready?"

Raven took a deep breath and spoke in a volume louder than what she usually did. "Right there! More!"

There was a barely audible gasp from the other side of the door. Raven smiled darkly and opened a dark portal. She reached in and grabbed the Stankball from its storage box, then nodded at her boyfriend. He smiled evilly before slinging the door open.

Outside was an opened mouthed Cyborg and Robin. Raven whipped the Stankball out and threw it in their faces before they could react, then Garfield slammed the door shut. They doubled over with laughter as they listened to their distraught friends outside.

"OHMYGODITSINMYMOUTH!"

"It smells like death! Star, heeeeelllppp!"

Starfire's voice could be heard faintly. "I am truly sorry boyfriend Robin and friend Cyborg, but I do not wish to participate in this game of Stankball, it is truly disgusting this time. Good luck!"

Both the boys could be heard crying as Raven and Beast Boy calmed down. Wiping a tear from his eye, Garfield turned to the amazing girl next to him. "I'm really surprised you wanted to prank them like that, Rae."

"I figured they would do something like that when we got back. They're so predictable that I couldn't resist paying them back this time." She took a deep breath and turned to her boyfriend. "Before bed, I want to know if there's anything else you're hiding from me?"

Gar hesitated, then shrugged sheepishly. "Just a couple of little things."

"Like?"

"My pajamas that you've been wearing? They're actually yours. I got them for you for Christmas but didn't have the guts to give them to you."

"You got me Ravenclaw pajamas to match the socks you gave me?" She raised an eyebrow as she took a shoe off, revealing the same socks she just mentioned.

"Pretty much, yeah. I didn't know what size you wore, so I had to guess." He laughed. "At least they fit!"

"They didn't fit, actually. They were snug on me, so I had to pop a couple of seems to let me breathe easier. And they're…a bit form fitting." Raven blushed a little as she set her shoes to the side and then put her coat on a hanger in the closet. She turned the light on in the closet and shut the door as she changed clothes, putting her pajamas on. She could hear him rustling about in the room, undoubtedly changing into his own pajamas.

* * *

Garfield was stretched out on his bed, shirtless and in his purple flannel pajamas bottoms when Raven shyly came out of the closet. Since she had come to terms with sleeping in his room, she had insisted that the light was off when they went to bed. He didn't argue because he could see in the dark, not that Raven knew that. She always shyly exited the closet then scurried up the small ladder to the top bunk.

But tonight when she reached for the ladder, she hesitated. Her eyes went back and forth from the ladder to Gar, who was laying there quietly watching her. She was just as beautiful tonight as she was every night. She was right, the pajamas were _very_ form fitting. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her as the desire to touch her soft and smooth skin came welling up to the surface. Her scent flooded his olfactory senses, the sound of her light breathing and heartbeat filled his ears, and the memory of the taste of her lips flooded his mind, threatening to overwhelm him.

He gripped his thigh and dug his fingers in until the sensations faded. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, demanding his mind and body to be calm and behave. Two squabbles with his instincts in one day wasn't a good sign, but he was fairly positive he could handle them.

And then Raven climbed into bed with him, making his senses explode with desire once more. His hand snapped up and gripped his head hard as his instincts screamed at him to mate with her.

"Gar? What's wrong? You feel so distraught and…"

"Sorry Rae…this isn't a good night for you to sleep next to me. I'm having an issue with the animal side of me." He gasped in pain, his skin rippling as man and beast, the two sides of his psyche, fought to take control of his body. His eyes faded in and out, both feral and tame, as he let out a small whimper.

Raven didn't hesitate to grab his head and pull it towards hers, touching their foreheads together. Garfield was then overwhelmed with waves of calmness that completely subdued and smothered the raging desire that burned through his body.

He gasped as he pulled his hand from his head, knowing full well that his gloves had done nothing to help him.

"Are you okay Gar?" Raven asked softly before staring at him harder. "Wait, you're bleeding. How did that happen?"

Garfield swiftly pulled his hand behind his back, but Raven grabbed him by the arm and pulled it in front of her.

"Your glove is covered in blood at the tips now…why?"

"How can you see in the dark?"

Raven stared at him. "When I linked us to calm you down, I peeked inside your mind and borrowed your nightvision. Now answer my question."

Instead of answering, he closed his eyes, sighed, and let his hand lay limply in hers. Her curiosity getting the better of her judgement, Raven slowly pulled the glove off.

Underneath was Garfield's claw-tipped hand, the fingers coated in blood.

"This is what you hide under your gloves? Claws?"

"Yeah. Claws. I'm an animal when I'm not even shifted." He pulled his hand away from her and stared at it. "The claws are so sharp and dense they tear through stone, metal, flesh, and bone easily. I can't touch my friends or even you as long as I have the hands of a monster. I don't want to hurt you."

" _That's_ why you hid yourself behind walls of humor for so long? Because you think you're a monster?" Raven whispered, almost not believing what she was hearing.

"I _am_ a monster, Raven." He sighed, pulled his glove back on, and closed his eyes. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's just go to sleep, it's been a long day."

Raven stared at him for a long while, thinking of this sudden change in mentality in her boyfriend. This one little surprise was beyond startling, but she knew she couldn't get him to open up tonight. Instead, she pulled his arms open and snuggled up to his chest. When he opened one eye and looked down at her, she leaned up and kissed him.

"You're no more a monster than I am." She whispered.

* * *

 **Wheeeew, longest chapter yet! Totally took me a while to get that one to my liking. Must have written and rewritten it 5 times before i settled on this. I'm totally enjoying where this story is going! Things are finally getting more interesting, ain't they? As Billy Mays once said...  
**

 **"But wait, there's more!"**

 **I gotta say that I really enjoyed this particular chapter, having taken four characters from the show and fleshed them out a bit. If you can't tell, Seymour was my favorite of the Hive Five. He really has some versatility as a character imo, so I worked with it. Control Freak was actually pretty easy to weld into the iron framework of this story, he already totally fanboyed about movies with Beast Boy, so taking it a step further was pretty logical. Yes RPGPersona, you guessed right.**

 **I know _someone_ is gonna ask "Who is Devin?"**

 **Well, fans of the TV series might remember the times when Control Freak talked online to people. One of them was a guy with a big nose and black curly hair. Take a wild guess who it was.**

 **Ah Gregory. The typical goth guy that Raven was seen with several times in the show, a couple of times in the comics (TTG comics, mind you), and even in Teen Titans GO (the TV series). People wondered why Raven didn't actually date the guy. Now you know.**

 **At this point, I'm pretty sure people are getting curious as to what precisely is going on between Beast Boy and Raven. I'd love to tell you guys...but watching you squirm in curiosity is much, much more entertaining. (I've been told I'm slightly sadistic lol)  
**

 **I've got a plethora of surprises ahead. Some are good, some are bad, some will make you say "WTF DUDE".**

 **Shenanigans! I love them. Cliff hangers! I love them too!**

 **Oh boy, I'm having too much fun with this lol.**

 **Also, I gotta give thanks to KtyouVsWriting for giving me some pretty good advice. I needed that insight, dude, thanks.**

 **I'd love to get some more reviews from my readers, I really enjoy hearing your opinions! Au revoir!**


	6. One Little Hope

**Hey guys and gals, sorry this chapter took so long, work has been kicking my ass for the past few days. Good news is that i've got the a few days off and i'm looking to get the next chapter done before getting back to work.**

 **After taking into consideration the words of a certain reviewer, I've tweaked a few things just a little bit. I have reasons for doing what I've done with the characters and I think the story is turning out nicely.**

 **Although to be honest, this chapter wasn't planned out at all, it just came to me in phases of work-based exhaustion. It's a shorter chapter than I like, but it's satisfactory.**

 **R &R please and thank you :) Au Revoir**

* * *

Garfield woke up to see the cooling bed space beside him. It had been a reoccurring thing for just over a week now that Raven was getting up early and disappearing to her room. She was obviously upset with him for pushing her away that night and was going to punish him like this until he apologized.

He sighed and rolled over to stare at the wall, thinking that perhaps it was a mistake to get into a relationship with her. He had always been afraid of his inner animal taking him over and with her so close to him now, it was harder than ever to keep it at bay.

It was a stupid thing really, the urge to mate with her. He felt that it was wrong to want to have sex with her, not only because of how early they were in the relationship but also because of their age (thanks to his upbringing by the Daytons). Everything else they did together soothed his inner beast, but when they settled down each night this urge became strong. It sickened him on the inside to look at his girlfriend as an object of lust; she was so much more than that.

It took him about an hour to stop moping and get up. He didn't really feel like eating anything for breakfast, so he just plopped on the couch and started playing a game. He wasn't really paying attention to what he was playing; it was just something to occupy his hands while he contemplated his situation.

"Hey Treemuncher! You listenin'?!"

"Huh?" Garfield looked to his left to see Cyborg sitting there with a controller in his hands.

"You gonna let me play too bro?"

"Count me in too!" Robin said as he flipped over the couch with a controller in hands too.

Garfield chuckled. "Yeah, sure guys."

He backed the game out to the main menu and loaded up multiplayer. Within minutes he, Cyborg, and Robin were smashing zombies with racing cars, blasting them away with rockets, and racing around the first mini-boss, Gigasmash the Car-Eater. Garfield still wasn't really paying attention to the game when a sudden question came from Robin.

"So Beast Boy, what's up with you and Raven lately? You guys aren't talking much."

"Yeah, what's up bro?" Cyborg nudged him on the shoulder. "Ya'll are starting to worry me."

"We…had a disagreement the other night…I think I made her mad and she's waiting for me to apologize." Gar mumbled.

"So why haven't you apologized yet? You know she'll forgive you, she always does B." Cyborg turned his human eye to his friend and gave him a concerned look.

The changeling shrugged. "Honestly Cy, I really don't feel like I should say sorry. I'm not saying anything is her fault and that she should apologize, but I…I just don't know what I would apologize for."

"What did you guys argue about?" Robin asked before cursing a zombie that made him crash.

"Dude, that's just something I'd like to not talk about. It's between me and Raven." Garfield shook his head.

"Something intimate, huh?" Cy turned both his eyes to his teammate. When Beast Boy didn't answer, Cy took that as a yes. "So you wanted something and she said no? You really should apologize for that."

"Dude, it's not like that!" The shapeshifter threw his controller down, his frustration peaking. "I'd never ask Raven for something that I know that she would _legit_ not want to do. Besides, you know Mento and Elasti-girl raised me Catholic. I might not follow all of their beliefs, but the ones I try to follow are the ones that are…ya know…most sensible?"

"So what happened?" Robin set his controller down and put a hand on his friends' shoulder. "You can talk to us, Beast Boy. It's okay, we won't judge you."

Beast Boy buried his face in his gloves and sighed. "I _wanted_ to do something. But at the same time, I _know_ it's wrong, so I sort of pushed Raven away so that I wouldn't try anything."

Both of the other Titans knew this wasn't the whole truth, but they weren't going to push the issue. Their friend would tell them, in time. Until then, they had to help him in any way they could.

"Look B, feeling like that towards a girl….its normal." Cy put his hand on his friends other shoulder.

"I'm anything but normal, Cy."

"No, you're pretty normal for a teenager, except the superpowers." Cy smiled. "What you feel isn't wrong, really. In its own way, it means you love all of her."

"Vic, I don't want a relationship based around sex. What happened between me and Raven on Valentine's night should not and will not define the relationship between me and Raven. Raven isn't a thing, she's a _person_. A person that I love more than anything. I don't want to take the chance that my inner animal will get hooked on her and turn the relationship into just a physical one!"

Cyborg looked at his friend for a long moment. "You just chased your words in a full circle. What's got you scared bro?"

The changeling froze. "Afraid? I'm not afraid of anything."

"Sorry Beast Boy, but you're the worst liar on the team." Robin squeezed his friends shoulder reassuringly. "We can't help you if you won't let us."

Beast Boy's voice dropped to barely a whisper as his head sunk back into his hands. "Sorry Rob…there's nothing you can help me with."

"That's because you won't let them help you."

The boys all froze, then turned slowly around. Raven was standing there, her arms crossed, with Starfire a few feet behind her, wringing her hands on anticipation.

Beast Boy looked away. "There's nothing they can help me with, Rae. Nothing anyone can help me with."

"Garfield Mark Logan. Come here. _Now._ " Raven demanded.

The verdant shapeshifter got up and slowly made his way to his girlfriend. Whatever she was going to yell at him for, whatever she was going to scold him for, he really did deserve it. But he wasn't changing his mind.

Raven stared at him until he lifted his head and looked at her.

"You've been avoiding me for all week." She said bluntly, her voice her standard monotone.

Garfield jerked in surprise. "Huh?"

"You've barely come to see me and we haven't eaten together all week." Raven said in that emotionless voice that bordered on cold. But her eyes silently shouted her misery to him.

"I-I thought you were mad at me." He stuttered, now very confused.

"Why?"

"Uh…well…you know…the other night…"

Raven shook her head. "Why would I be mad at you? You're trying to protect me, even if there's nothing to protect me from."

"Huh?"

"I know you won't hurt me Gar. You've _always_ been trying to protect me, I know that now." Raven took his hands in hers and squeezed them. "And now it's time for me to protect _you_ from _yourself._ "

Without warning, she ripped his gloves from his hands and threw them behind her. Starfire immediately vaporized them with an emerald starbolt. Garfield stared wide eyed at his girlfriend in fear, then clenched his hands and shoved them in his pockets.

"Cyborg, grab his hands and hold them out."

"Raven, no! What are you doing?!" Beast Boy darted around his girlfriend, feeling betrayed. But he wasn't fast enough to dodge the Boy Wonder, who flipped over him and spun him around into Cyborg's awaiting arms. The cybernetic man wrapped his arms around his best friend then forcibly opened the changelings arms, holding his clenched fists out to Raven.

"Raven, stop. There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do." Beast Boy pleaded. His friends, his family, were about to see his biggest shame and the only thing he could do was struggle in vain.

"Show me your hands, Gar." Raven asked quietly.

He clenched his hands tighter, using the fresh pain of his claws piercing his flesh to steel his resolve. Blood began to flow, a steady drip coming from each hand.

Raven saw this and sighed. "Cyborg, open his hands."

Cy shifted his grip and squeezed down on the pressure points on the changelings wrists. The green hands popped open immediately, releasing a steadier flow of blood from the four holes in each hand. Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin all gasped when they realized that the injuries came from Beast Boy himself, that he had dug _claws_ into his own hands.

"Bro…what the heck?" Cy choked, unable to believe the little green guy in his arms had not only hidden such a thing, but had willingly injured himself in an attempt to hide it.

"Friend Beast Boy…why do you have claws? You are shifted?" Starfire asked, delicately reaching out and touched a claw. To her shock, she pulled back a finger wet with _her_ blood. Just touching the claw had cut her finger open.

"I don't understand." Robin said, using a birdarang to hold a claw up for inspection. "How could you hide something like this? How do your gloves not get shredded from them?"

"How could I _not_ hide the claws of a monster?" Garfield sighed in defeat. "Just look at them. How am I supposed to do anything with fingers like serrated knives?"

Robin hesitated. "I can understand that…a little bit. But the gloves?

"Mento made them so I would stop shredding everything I touched. They're made out of a special polymer that…how did he say it…constricts, not obstructs, I think. I can't remember how he explained it; it was a long time ago."

"Sounds like some mighty useful stuff." Cyborg leaned over his smaller friend and looked at him. "So why do you have so many gloves?"

"Because the gloves wear thin after a time, like that pair of jeans you guys told me for years to get rid of. You know, the ones with a bazillion holes?"

Robin rubbed his chin in thought as he watched Raven step closer to her love. A small cantrip and she began to heal his hands. It didn't take long.

"So now what, Rae?" Gar said quietly as the last hole closed and the blood was reabsorbed by his body.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to cooperate?"

He sighed and nodded. Cyborg let his friend go and Raven took her lover's hands in hers. She took his hands and placed them palm to palm, keeping her hands on his. She took a deep breath and began to chant.

"Zarathos Meltro Felewa Bitronel Vilose Ravennoth!"

Raven's hands pulsed with magic ten times, each pulse smaller than the rest. The final pulses focused on her fingers, where it coalesced and drifted to the green hands under hers. His hands glowed for a moment as a tingly sensation spread across his skin. It faded after a moment, leaving his hands…unchanged.

Raven pulled away from him and stepped back. She spoke softly. "Touch something."

Garfield, cast a strange look at his girlfriend before turning to Cyborg. Cautiously, he reached out and gently ran his fingers down his friends arm. The metal was cool to touch and there was a slight vibration.

And no damage.

Gar's eyes opened wide and he ran his hand across his friends shoulder this time. Cool metal and vibrations. No scratches.

He turned quickly and ran his hands across the back of the couch. It was coarse and slightly warm to the touch. The changeling turned and ran into the kitchen, slinging the freezer door open and sticking his hands in the ice.

"It's cold…" He whispered to himself. He looked up from the freezer and ran over to Robin. Robin gave him a weird look as Gar ran his hands across the masked superhero's head.

"It really is spikey!" Garfield gasped. Robin shooed his friend off his head., scowling.

Then the changeling slowly looked up to the indigo haired girl that his life revolved around. Quietly, he walked up to her and slowly raised his hands to her face, stopping an inch from her skin. Raven could see the hesitation in his eyes and the fear on his face, so she reached up and took his hands in hers once more. She pressed his hands onto her cheeks and he started to tremble.

"You're so warm." He whispered, feeling the little hope he had in heart flare up for the first time in a long while.

"As are you, Gar." Her eyes half closed, Raven lowered his hands back down to his sides. She took a deep breath and then smacked him.

It wasn't a hard smack, just enough to surprise the hell out of him. Garfield stood there rubbing his cheek as Raven half glared at him from under her hood.

"You were right about one thing. I _am_ mad at you. We spent two weeks spending _all_ of our time together. Do you know what kind of effect that had on me? Being with you and then being without you has made me emotionally unstable in ways that I can't understand. Spending these past few days away from you was absolutely _terrible._ " Raven crossed her arms and Starfire, who had silently approached the couple, put her hand on her small companion's shoulder.

"Friend Raven speaks the truth. She has been most upset with your problem and spent days looking through her books and the world of magic just to find something to assist you. She has been pushing herself so hard that she has eaten little and been nauseated on several occasions. She even vomited once."

Raven glared at her friend. "Thank you Starfire for sharing information with them I wasn't going to."

"Oh…I am sorry." Starfire smiled weakly.

"What did you even do, Raven?" Robin sat on the back of the couch and eyeballed the changeling's hands.

"The first two days I spent looking through my books to find something that might change Garfield's hands back to something at least semi-normal. Starfire joined me on the third day and kept going through my books as I looked into the streams of magic that permeate the world. I followed the threads of magic towards various magicians and sorcerers across the planet, seeking any spell I could that would help him in any way. There really aren't that many powerful magic users across Earth, so it wasn't that hard. But none of them had anything that was permanent or didn't have some kind of bizarre side effect." Raven paused just long enough to wrap her boyfriend in hug and lean against him. "I was almost ready to give up and try one of the spells when Starfire had an idea."

Raven nodded to the alien princess, who happily took over the story. "On my planet, when to people challenge each other to a duel, a mystic will cast a spell that blunts the edges and curves of weapons for the duration of the duel."

Cyborg and Robin caught on immediately.

"So you're saying you made a spell that cast a magic force field on the grass stain's claws?" Cy poked a claw, making the metal and bone ting softly.

Raven nodded. "Pretty much yeah. It took three tries to get it right, but I managed perfect it yesterday."

"That's pretty good thinking Raven. You too Starfire!" Robin grinned at his girlfriend, who wrapped him in a hug that threatened to break bones.

"Pretty good thinking? Dude, that's awesome thinking!" Beast Boy leaned in to kiss Raven. "You're so amazing, Rae."

Raven put a hand on his lips. "I'm still mad at you."

"Oh, right." The changeling smiled then frowned as a thought crossed his mind. "Hold on, you said you finished the spell yesterday? Then what were you doing this morning?"

"Paperwork for our friend." Raven crossed her arms. "You forgot about him, didn't you?"

It was Garfield's turn to weakly smile. Raven rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Some things never change, do they?"

"Paperwork for what Raven?" Robin asked as he massaged his aching ribs, finally having been released by his overeager girlfriend.

"A new recruit for the Titans. It's all sitting on your desk."

"Alright, we could use another hand around here. Titans East could use one too, I'll just have to look over who it is and what they can do." Robin headed towards the door before he paused and looked over his shoulder. "Raven, get some food and rest. Beast Boy, you're taking over the observation shift coming up. It was supposed to be Raven's, now it's yours."

Raven nodded and walked over to the kitchen, where she started making a sandwich. It wasn't long before the verdant shapeshifter joined her, pulling out a cube of tofu.

"Want some?" He smiled enthusiastically.

"Garfield, I've already told you once that while I respect you for not eating me I would like you to respect that I don't eat fake meat." Raven made a face. "Besides, it smells so bad that it turns my stomach."

"But it's tasty!"

"Garfield…"

"Okay okay." The changeling pulled out some hotsauce and started smothering the tofu in it. "Ya don't know what you're missing out on Rae."

Raven rolled her eyes and took her sandwhich to the table. Gar joined her after a moment, bringing a bottle of water for her and a can of soda for himself. She wasn't really hungry, especially not after getting a whiff of that damned goop her boyfriend loved so much, but she needed to eat anyways. She nibbled at her sandwich, garlic bologna with mayo, as she contemplated the past few weeks. There were things that she didn't understand and it was starting to grate on her nerves.

 _I need to make another trip to Nevermore soon._ She thought.

Without warning, she felt nausea wash over her, sending her leaning into Garfield's shoulder. He stopped mid bite and looked at her. "Rae, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired." She lied as she leaned more on his shoulder and fought to keep the contents of her stomach in said organ.

"Dude, I can tell you're feeling sick. What's wrong?"

Raven glanced at him. "How can you tell that?"

He tapped his head. "Animal senses, babe. I know when you're sick…and when you tell me a little lie like that, your heart speeds up."

"Your senses are that strong?"

"My sense of smell and hearing are my strong points, but I kind of tune them out most of the time. I wish I could see better, but at least I can see in the dark like some kind of spec ops ninja dude." Garfield grinned as he imagined being called _Special Agent Beast Man_ , going on all kinds of secret missions and exotic places.

"How is hearing a strong point when you never seem to hear what others are saying?" Raven gently tapped her head against his to draw his attention back to her. He chuckled and gave a little shrug.

"Maybe you should get some rest!" The changeling said suddenly.

Raven sighed. "Robin already told me to get some rest, Gar. Weren't you paying attention?"

"Oh..sorry Rae, I was thinking about…stuff."

The indigo haired girl glanced at her lover and watched him nibble on his tofu. Growing irritated with his absentmindedness, her glance turned into a glare. "Well? Spit it out already."

He looked up from his food. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about a few things."

"Like?" Raven gritted her teeth.

"Like you know…that stuff I said before the whole claw thing…and what I'm sure you heard me say on the couch."

He wasn't looking at her now, but she could feel the tenseness in his body. A strangely relieving sensation washed over her, calming the nausea. She looked away, a small blush rising in her cheeks. One that she was sure was echoed on her lover's face.

 _Intimacy, something I don't know anything about._

A sudden thought struck her as she pondered the meaning of their relationship.

"Garfield…what do you expect of us?"

"Huh?"

"What do you want out of our relationship?"

"Uhhh…I dunno Rae, I never really thought about it." He set his fork down and scratched his head. "I want us to be happy. I want us to smile and laugh and enjoy all the time we have together and stuff like that. If I can get you into some of my hobbies it'd be pretty cool too. I could see reading books with you, but I dunno about meditating and stuff, it's so boring."

He looked over at her. "What do you want?"

Raven looked at the guy that her life was starting to revolve around for a long moment before she slowly answered. "I want communication. To talk about the things that are good and bad. I want to be able to trust you and trust myself to trust you, because it's not something that comes easily to me. I want us to be faithful to each other, in mind, body, and soul. I want us to be there for one another whenever we need it. I want us to make time for each other, like we already have been doing. I actually kind of like sitting with you and reading while you play games or read comics. It's been weirdly relaxing. I also want us to leave the past in the past and look at the future, as hard as it is sometimes. I want us to both know and realize that arguments are going to happen and that we won't always be happy. Change can't happen overnight, it's a long term thing. I want us to appreciate each other and be best friends. After all, loving someone means being able to look at all of the other person's flaws and seeing them perfectly. I know I'm not even remotely girlfriend material. I'm mean, rude, sarcastic, and stubborn. But…I want to be by your side, Garfield. This intimacy stuff is a bit…unsettling, truthfully speaking, but I think if we just let things run their course that everything will be okay."

Gar wrapped an arm around her. "Whatever you want, Rae. You've got the brains and beauty in this relationship, I'm just the funny one."

"That's debatable." Raven snorted. Her boyfriend put on a fakely hurt expression and she just rolled her eyes. He laughed and kissed her head, sending a small shiver down her spine. She'd never admit it, but she still hadn't gotten used to his touch.

"Come on Rae, let's you to bed."

She nodded and took a big bite of her sandwich while the changeling beside her wolfed down the last of his tofu. They put their dishes in the sink and where walking out the door when Raven stopped and stared hard at her love.

"What?" He asked, wondering what he had done this time.

"I don't _ever_ want to hear any of that monster nonsense again. Understand?" She crossed her arms.

Beast Boy hesitated then held his arm out for hers. "Okay Raven…but you can't shut me out anymore. Deal?"

Raven hesitated this time before taking his arm. "I'll try…but some habits are hard to break."

* * *

It was sometime that evening when Raven returned from her rest. The others were sitting at the table, laughing and joking around.

"Okay okay, I got another one!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Aw, come on man, just quit it already!" Cyborg groaned.

"What's the longest word in the dictionary?"

"Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!" Starfire's huge smile lit up her face.

"Did you just sneeze in Tamaranian?" Beast Boy raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"No, friend Beast Boy, you asked what the longest word in the earthling dictionary is and that is the answer."

"Uh, no Star, its _smile_." Beast Boy chuckled. "Cause it's got a _mile_ in it!"

Robin and Cyborg groaned while Starfire sat there trying to understand the joke. The mechanical man saw Raven approaching and turned to her, pleading. "Raven, you gotta stop B! His jokes are getting worse, he's killing us!"

"Hey, if anybody should be feeling sorry for anyone, it's shopping carts. They're always getting pushed around!" Beast Boy started laughing really hard at his own joke as his buddies groaned again.

"Oh, I got another one! What do you call a bomb that doesn't explode, but lands on a cow?"

"A faulty piece of equipment built by Gordanians." Starfire stated smugly.

Garfield looked at her weirdly for a moment. "Uh, no Star, a milk dud."

"I do not understand. What does an explosive device and a cow have to do with a tasty Earth candy?"

Robin slammed his head into the table. "Beast Boy, please just stop."

"No way dude, I'm on a roll!" The shapeshifter smiled up at Raven as she approached him. "Hey Rae! What is Dr. Jekyll when he is himself?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"De-Hyde-drated!" Garfield started to howl with laughter, but Raven put her hand over his mouth.

"How about you knock that off for the night?" She asked quietly, to which he nodded. Raven gave him a little smile and patted his head. "Thank you. Did you save me anything to eat?"

"Heck yeah!" He jumped up from his seat and ran over to kitchen. Within minutes he had a warm bowl of chili. He reached for a pack of crackers but paused. "Salted or non-salted?"

"Salted is fine." Raven said from the couch, where she had taken his warm seat.

Gar grabbed a pack of salted crackers from the counter, then walked over with the food and handed it to his awaiting girlfriend. After she took the food, he hopped over the couch and sat next to her. Robin waited for Raven to finish her meal before got down to business.

"Raven, Beast Boy, I need to know how this business with See-More even happened." He pulled the papers from his belt and laid them out. Cyborg and Starfire had been briefed, but they took papers to read anyways.

"I'll let Gar tell you that one." Raven bumped shoulders with her boyfriend, who started telling the story. Raven took her bowl to the sink and rinsed it out. She turned to grab the kettle to make some tea then faltered against the counter as the nausea hit her once more.

"Friend Raven, are you okay?" Starfire asked, having approached quietly from behind.

"Yes, Starfire. I just didn't sleep enough. And chili probably wasn't the best thing to eat after being stressed out like that." Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she chanted a cleansing mantra. Within moments, she was back to normal.

Feeling refreshed, she started making her favorite Earl Grey tea. By the time she finished, Garfield had finished his story. Robin was sitting with his chin in hand, staring hard at the papers before him. Raven joined them and sipped her tea quietly.

"What do you guys think?" The Boy Wonder asked.

"I say we give him a chance." Cyborg said immediately. "Jinx turned over a new leaf and See-More doesn't seem half as bad as she was."

"I agree with friend Cyborg, a new friend would be most welcome!" Starfire pipped in as she snuggled against her boyfriend.

"I'm for it if you are dude." Beast Boy sat back and casually placed his arm around Raven's shoulder. She stared at him for a moment before sipping her tea and giving a small shrug.

"I think it will be fine if he joins us. He's not a threat." She inhaled the fragrance of her tea before continuing. "And like Cyborg said, he's not as bad as Jinx was."

"See guys, even Raven approves!" Garfield smiled hugely.

"The only downside is that we'll have another dork running around here. Not sure if I'd like the tower to get any louder." Raven sipped her tea with a straight face as she watched her boyfriend work out what she said.

"Heeyyyy!" He pouted at her, a hurt look on his face.

 _By Azar, it's like he gets cuter every time he does that!_ Raven thought. It amused her so much that she couldn't stop herself from smiling a little bit then leaning over and giving her verdant lover a small kiss on his cheek. "Better?"

He was blushing a bit but smiling too. "Yeah."

"Ya know, I don't know how long it will take me to get used to seeing you two like this." Cyborg said as he sat back and looked at his friends. "It's like you've both changed who you are but you've stayed you at the same time."

Raven looked at Garfield, then Cyborg. "I already noticed that we've both changed. I don't feel as…conflicted…as I used to about letting my emotions out. It's like Gar changed something in me. It's…a nice feeling. I'm enjoying myself daily when we're together."

"So what's up with your powers not going haywire?" Robin wrapped his arm around Starfire.

Raven shook her head. "I don't have an answer for that. I assumed it had something to do with Gar at first, but something feels off. I need to take another trip into Nevermore soon and get it sorted out."

"But…if you get it straightened out, then won't your powers go back to the way they were?" Garfield asked, his ears drooping.

Raven leaned into him. "I thought about that too, Gar. As nice as it is to not have my powers going crazy every time I feel something strongly, it's more worrisome that they don't react at all unless it's an extreme emotion."

At this moment, the young sorceress yawned and laid her head on Gar's shoulder. Cyborg crossed his arms.

"Now Raven, how can you be tired? You just woke up! You've been sleeping a lot more lately too."

"I don't have an answer to that either, Cy." Raven shrugged again. "I've just been more tired lately."

Robin spoke up. "Go ahead and go back to bed, Raven. But in the morning, you and Beast Boy are going to go get See-More. We'll bring him on the team and see how well he does."

Raven nodded and yawned again. She bumped her head against Garfield's jaw gently then got up. "See you in a little while, Gar."

"Yeah…okay." The changeling's shoulders slumped a bit as he watched his indigo-haired girlfriend leave. He put his head in his hand and sat there trying to figure out what do to for the rest of the evening for several minutes.

Just as he was about to give up thinking and just play a game, Robin spoke up again.

"You know, Beast Boy, if you'd like to get some rest you can."

Beasty Boy's head jerked up off his hand. "Huh? Wait. Really dude?"

"Sure, but you'll run See-More through the training course tomorrow in exchange."

"Heck yeah dude! Thanks!" Gar's eyes lit up as he jumped up and hugged his masked friend before dashing out the door.


	7. One Little Furball

**I'm really sorry lads and lasses, I tried to get this one out a day sooner but going to watch Batman V Superman and then having an ambush 3 hour nap threw me waaaay off.**

 **And honestly only half this chapter was planned. The just filled itself in so nicely that I couldn't argue. :)**

 **Read and review please! :D**

* * *

Surprisingly enough, it was Beast Boy who awoke first this time. He lay there in the dark, blinking owlishly and yawning silently. Raven had her head on his arm, her arms wrapped around him and her body pressed against him. It kind of made him feel like a big teddy bear. Unfortunately, his arm was steadily becoming more numb by the second. He tried to ease his sleeping girlfriend's head off his arm, only for her to tighten her grip and press against him more.

She mumbled in her sleep. "Stupid elf."

He rolled his eyes and muttered to himself. "Even in her sleep she calls me names."

Raven shifted and kissed his arm. Gar looked at her, expecting her to have been awake and heard him. But no, she had literally kissed him in her sleep. A small smirk on his face, he leaned his head over and kissed her cheek. She shivered in his embrace and nuzzled into his side more.

 _Oh, I like that._ He smiled to himself as he started kissing up and down her neck softly. Goosebumps raced up and down her skin each time his lips met her skin. His smiled widened as he kissed up her neck and started kissing on her ear. She shuddered in his arms, then abruptly rolled over away from him.

Gar didn't hesitate to follow her, wrapping his arm under her and then across her stomach, his hand on her side. His other arm wrapped around her from above, his other hand resting on his other arm. He wiggled his arms ever so gently up her side until his forearms were tucked just under her breasts.

He knew he was pushing his luck with this one, but he figured it was worth it. A little touching would be okay…right?

He started kissing softly up her neck and she squirmed in his arms a little bit, the goosebumps rising again.

"That is so cool." He said to himself as he kissed her neck then her ear. When he reached the top of her ear, a strange urge came over him and he gently bit her ear.

Raven's body stiffened and her eyes snapped open as she made a curious noise that wasn't quite a gasp.

"Gar, what are you doing?!"

The changeling chuckled as he released her ear. "I just figured out that you get goosebumps when I kiss you."

Raven blushed and looked down at his arms, then turned her head to glare at him. "You didn't waste any time, did you?"

A dozen excuses flashed through his mind, but he decided to just be mostly honest with her. "I thought it was comfy, that's all."

Raven snorted and started to say something when he interrupted her.

"Ya know, that blushing glare of yours is pretty cute."

Her mouth snapped shut and she turned away from him. He laughed and kissed up her neck again.

"Hey Rae, there's something I need to tell you." He said suddenly. He scooted back and rolled her on her back, then leaned over her. She glared up at him, the blush still slightly present.

"What is it now, Garfield?"

Garfield gave her a smile that sent her heart racing before he spoke. "Good morning beautiful."

It took her a moment to realize what he said, but when she did the blush came back tenfold. She reached up to grab her hood to hide her face and then realized it wasn't there. She grabbed the pillow instead, hiding all of her face but her eyes.

"Gar, y-you can't just say that l-like that." She stammered.

"Oh, I'm _really_ starting to like this shy side of you. It's adorable." He chuckled before he pulled the pillow from her.

Raven glared up at the smiling shapeshifter above her but couldn't hold it. She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him in for a deep kiss. He kissed her back just as eagerly. It was perhaps a full two minutes before they pulled away from each other, both out of breath.

"Is this going to be our new morning thing?" Raven asked, trying to get her heart to calm down.

"It could be." Gar gave her a sly smile.

Her heart still beating madly, Raven bit her lip. "You know that'll lead to other things, right?"

He hesitated. "Yeah…but I'll try my best to let you make that decision."

"You're just going to tease me every morning until I want it, aren't you?"

"Haha, no, I'll stop if you want."

Raven looked at him for so long that Gar's arm actually started falling asleep. Just as he was about to move, she pulled him back in for more kisses.

"Stupid…elf…" She muttered.

* * *

Within the hour the happy couple had left the tower in high spirits. It was snowing lightly outside, but that didn't deter them the least bit. Raven was flying towards the city, Beast Boy not far behind in the form of a large eagle, when a snowball hit her in the back. She stopped and hovered in the air, looking suspiciously at the only other occupant in the area. The eagle gave a sly squawk and barreled past her, shifting to a green peregrine falcon.

Raven wasn't sure when he had grabbed the snowball, but she wasn't going to just him get away with that. She waved her hands, briefly chanting as her magic gathered up all the snow in the surrounding sky. Within moments, the young sorceress had a snowball thrice her size. She shot forward in the sky, seeking her elusive green skinned boyfriend.

Down on a dock, hiding behind a box next to a building, Garfield snickered quietly to himself. Raven would never find him here, not with so many people working just on the other side of the wall in the building. Their emotions would mask his. He gathered up another snowball.

Raven, however, knew precisely where he was. She wasn't sure how, but she just _knew_.

Hovering just over the roof line, the sorceress had a wonderful idea. Instead of launching the giant snowball at the mischievous changeling, she launched it at the roof, where it started a chain reaction. She heard him squeal in surprise as the small mountain of snow collapsed on top of him. She knew he'd be okay, so she landed near the box and straightened her face out.

"Garfield, quit playing in the snow." She said in a now-becoming-less-traditional monotone.

His head popped up out of the snow. "I wasn't playing in the snow, it was an avalanche! It coulda killed me Rae! Aren't you worried?"

A snowball in his face answered that question.

He wiped the snow from his face and glared at her. "Of course, you know this means war!"

He burst out of the snow in the form of a large yeti, a dumpster sized ball of snow raised above his head. His wild roar died off as he looked at the dozens of car sized snowballs Raven had floating in the air above her. The snowball dropped from his hands backwards as he returned to his normal humanoid form.

"That is _so_ not fair." He muttered before Raven buried him in snow. Again.

* * *

It took about ten minutes for a half frozen Beast Boy to dig his way out of the mountain. He was muttering and grumbling about magic being cheating the entire time. Raven had tried her hardest to not laugh, but the last step from the pile made her boyfriend slip. It sent him sliding across the ground, bouncing off of two trash cans. She couldn't stop herself from cracking up.

Gar stuck his tongue out at her as he got up, his pride thoroughly wounded. Raven stifled her laughter as best as she could and wrapped him in a hug.

"Thank you Garfield. I never knew laughing felt so good."

"You don't have to laugh _at_ me." He grumbled.

"Isn't that what you try to get me to do when you tell bad jokes?"

The changeling blinked, his face scrunched up in confusion. "No, I want you to laugh at my jokes, not at me…like…the jokes are funny, not me…wait…"

Raven rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Come on, let's go already. How far is it?"

"Not really that far, once we get out of the docks. It's not the best neighborhood, but it ain't a ghetto."

They walked together in snowy silence, simply enjoying each other's company. It wasn't long before Raven slowly reached out and took his hand in hers once more. Beast Boy's heart could have exploded at that moment.

 _She's not only accepted me, but she's embraced me too. This is amazing._ He thought happily.

Raven hid her smile behind the scarf that Starfire had gotten her a couple of years ago. It was a lovely shade of purple that matched her eyes and matched Gar's jacket nicely.

 _He's so easy to read now, like everything is completely open to me_.

The spectrum of his emotions was bright, never one color for long, but bright nonetheless. He practically radiated with happiness and something stronger than affection. This particular emotion she basked in, drinking as much of it in mentally as she could. This feeling was something she would never give up, it had become too important to her. She sighed a happy little sigh and felt herself smiling more.

And then she stopped, having felt three small lifeforms nearby suddenly drop in number to just one. One very cold and hungry lifeform. Her eyes drifted to the closest ally, where it was hidden.

Garfield stopped and looked at her. "What is it Rae?"

"Something is dying over in that alley." She took a tentative step towards the alley. She had never felt such a pitiful presence on the verge of death and for some reason it pained her.

Gar, on the other hand, didn't hesitate. He shifted to a blood hound and ran into the alleyway, sniffing around. Within moments, he gave a bark and started digging in a pile of snow. Raven ran over to find her boyfriend holding a small black runt of a kitten, probably no older than three weeks. In front of him was a frozen box with a long frozen black cat and two black and orange kittens that had died of starvation. She heard him whisper.

"I'm sorry little one, I can't save you."

"What? Why not?" Raven asked in a hushed tone.

"It's been without food for too long and the cold…it's been too much."

"But it's just a baby, Gar! We can't let it die like that!"

Garfield looked up at his girlfriend in surprise. "I didn't know you liked animals, Raven."

"I like you, don't I?" Raven crouched beside him and stretched a shaking hand out to pet the kitten.

It opened its beautiful blue eyes and mewed at her.

Something inside of Raven snapped (she would later come to the conclusion that it was Happy pulling a Rage and flipping out) and she started chanting softly, her hand glowing a soft blue light. It engulfed the kitten, lifting it from the verdant shapeshifters arms and depositing into hers. She got up and, still chanting, walked out of the alleyway. Garfield trailed after her, wondering where she was going.

It was about fifteen minutes later that she stopped in front a store. Still chanting and her hands full, she nodded at the door. Gar glanced up and read the sign.

 **3** **rd** **Street Veterinary Clinic! Walk-Ins Welcome!**

His eyes wide, he opened the door and let Raven walk in before following her. An older black woman was sitting in a chair off to the side, her little brown wiener dog lounging in the chair next to her. She glanced up from the magazine she was reading, then did a double take when she saw that a green teenage boy and a purple-haired pale-skinned girl with glowing hands was walking towards the reception desk. The older white man at the desk was wide eyed as the teenage superhero couple approached. Raven jerked her head at the man.

"Hi, yeah, this looks pretty weird, but we kinda need your help."

The man looked at them like they were crazy. " _You_ …need _MY_ help?"

"Yeah dude, seriously." Gar jerked his thumb at the kitten. "We want you to check this kitten we just picked up in an alley. I'm not sure what Rae's doing to it, but it ain't dyin' anymore."

The guy shook his head and called over his shoulder. "Hey doc, ya got a walk in! An odd one, at that!"

At that moment, an even older black man walked out of a room with a young black girl holding a guinea pig. The girl ran up to her grandmother immediately.

"Granny, granny, Rodney's gonna be okay!"

"That's great honey, did Mr. Carrington say what was wrong with him?"

"He said Rodney ate something that gave him a tummy ache and he had to poop it out 'cause it was hurting him. I gotta watch him better when we play!" The girl hugged the guinea pig to her chest.

"We'll do that." The old woman patted her on the head, paid the receptionist and thanked the vet. The little girl, on the other hand, had noticed Raven and Beast Boy. She ran up to them, wide eyed.

"Woooow, you're Beast Boy and Raven! Coooool!" She held up the squirming rodent. "This is Rodney, he had a tummy ache!"

Garfield smiled at the little girl, and then shifted to a guinea pig right in front of her eyes. The kid squealed with delight and set Rodney down in front of her. He started sniffing Beast Boy, thoroughly confused. After a few sniffs and some really annoying squealing, the changeling returned to human form, holding Rodney.

"COOOOOLLLLLLL!" The girl squealed again. "What did he say?!"

Gar laughed as he handed over the guinea pig. "He said he's sorry for scaring you like that."

The girl smiled so big that Raven could have sworn her head split in half, then hugged Rodney. "I forgive you Rodney!"

Her eyes drifted to Raven and the kitten in her arms, eyes widening. "What's Miss Raven doing to that kitty?"

"That kitty is sick and she's trying to save it."

The child's eyes grew enormous and she looked up at Raven with such admiration that it could be felt in the air. At that moment though, her grandmother walked back over and wrapped her in a jacket and pulled her out the door. The little girls' last words echoed loudly in the room as the door shut.

"Granny, I wanna be as awesome as Miss Raven!"

Raven stuttered, her face flushing with embarrassment, and ruined her incantation. Garfield laughed and took the kitten from her.

"This little kitty needs a checkup, doc. The whole basic nine yards, iffen ya would."

The vet took the kitten and immediately went into the room. Raven and Beast Boy sat down and got comfortable.

"Think we should tell Rob and them?" Gar ventured as he opened a magazine.

"Nope." Raven said without missing a beat, to which her lover laughed.

A little while later, the vet came out of the room with a fat little kitten in his hands. He smiled and handed the kitten back to Raven.

"I don' know what your magic did, missy, but that's the healthiest little furball I've ever seen. The only things that were wrong with him were fleas and he was very hungry. I went ahead and gave him a bath as well as feedin' him."

Raven smiled and held the kitten up to her face. He looked pretty drowsy, but his eyes opened wider when he saw Raven's face. He began purr immediately.

Gar smiled and reached to pet the kitten on the head. It immediately hissed and spat at him, making the verdant teen pull back in surprise. Raven's smile grew even wider.

"I'm guessin' you want to keep it, eh?" He said sullenly.

Rae looked over at him. "It's a just a baby. We can't toss him back out there and there's no telling if someone else will want him."

Her boyfriend rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. "Didn't figure you for the motherly type."

"Did you say something, Gar?"

"Not a thing babe." He jumped up and walked with the vet over to the counter, where he paid for the check up and purchased kitten formula and associated items. When he walked back up, however, he had a concerned look on his face.

"Rae, where are we going to carry him until we get back to the tower? I only have one pocket that would be warm enough for a kitten and it's on the inside of my coat." He glared at the kitten. "I'd really rather not get scratched up."

Raven frowned, held the squirming kitten in one hand, and zipped her jacket down to look for pockets. Finding none, she stared at the kitten.

"Maybe I should go back to the tower real quick…"She mused.

The kitten had other ideas, seeing how it squirmed right out of her grasp and into her face. She gasped and reflexively dodged backwards, making the little feline hit her collar bone where it slid down her shirt into her cleavage (which wasn't actually showing, it was just a lucky jump).

Raven and Beast Boy stood there staring at each other for a moment before the young sorceress pulled the top of her shirt open just enough to peek at the kitten. It was quite confused but very satisfied with the newfound warmth.

A wave of jealously washed over Raven, who's head snapped up to look at the verdant young man staring hard at her chest.

 _He's jealous of a kitten?!_ She thought before an evil idea came over her. _Hm…let's see how jealous he gets._

So she zipped her jacket back up, leaving just the top of the shirt visible. The kitten popped his head out, purring and looking around. He spotted Garfield and hissed.

The changeling stomped out the door and Raven followed him, giggling quietly.

* * *

The rest of the walk to See-More's place was relatively quiet. The kitten slept peacefully resting against Raven's bosom, much to Garfield's chagrin. She paid him no mind, though, as her thoughts were cycling through names for the little feline.

"We're here."

Gar's voice snapped Raven from her contemplation. She looked up at the small apartment complex. It was practically falling apart in some places and there were a lot of boarded and broken windows.

"He lives here? In this…thing?" Raven asked incredulously.

"Yep. Top floor. Best room in the building." Garfield said flatly.

They walked silently through the front door and up the stairs. As they traveled from floor to floor, Raven saw that there were other occupants of the building. Junkies, drug dealers, gang members, whores, criminals, and much more.

"Shouldn't we do something about these people?" Raven glanced uneasily over her shoulder at a pair of junkies that were eyeballing her.

Beast Boy shrugged. "Technically, it's not our jurisdiction. I mean, Rob does it, yeah, but that's his thing. Everything else like it is the cops problem."

Raven stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. He shook his head.

"Don't look at me like that Rae. We can't fight every battle, just the ones that normal people can't."

Raven didn't like it, but he was right. She nodded and followed him up. They were almost at the top when they encountered a group of thugs in the way.

Garfield sighed and looked directly at the leader, a big mixed man. "We really gonna do this every time I come see Bright Eye, Sojo?"

"That's right greenskin, 'cause yer on my turf. And nothing happens on my turf unless I say so." The big Latino-American said with a venomous grin. "Tell you what tho', leave that pretty girl with me for a bit and I'll look the other way."

Before Sojo could react, before the other guys could hoot and holler, before _Raven_ could react, Beast Boy struck. Nobody saw him shift, but his arm had become massive and hairy, ending in claws. He grabbed Sojo by the head and slammed him through the nearest wall. Not letting go, he drug the unfortunate idiot back out of the wall and slammed him out the window and held him there. _Six stories up._

Everyone froze, especially Raven. Gone from her lovers eyes was the cheery and ever optimistic boy she had come to care for, replaced with a cold, murderous, and hungry glare.

A bestial glare.

He growled so low that the words could barely be understood. " _If you ever speak about my mate in such a way again, you will pray for Hell to save you from me_."

He drew his arm and the man back in and slung him at his friends. They tripped all over each other trying to drag Sojo as far away from the green maniac as fast as they could.

The animalistic glare fading from his eyes, Garfield looked to Raven and spoke plainly. "I'm sorry that you had to hear something so disgusting from scum like him, Raven."

"What the hell was that about?" Raven whispered.

Gar closed his eyes and looked away from her. "I'm sorry Rae. I hate this place, to be honest. It reminds me of the jungle I spent a few years in, alone. The strong eat the weak in the jungle. But in this place, this concrete jungle, the bugs attack anyone they think they can cower. And these damn bugs keep coming back, no matter how many times me or Rob clean out this neighborhood."

He opened his eyes as Raven wrapped her arms around him from behind. Sighing, he shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to see me lose my temper like that."

"You know I'm fully capable of protecting myself and you still go off like that." She murmured into his back.

"Even if you can protect yourself, even if you're stronger than me, even if the world is ending, I _will_ protect you Raven." He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. " _Always._ "

She looked up and smiled at him. "I know Gar."

Together, they made their way to the top floor, encountering no one else. There were only two doors on the top floor and one of them led to the roof. Garfield knocked on the other door, which was answered shortly.

Seymour stood there in just a pair of red shorts, gawking at them. Raven noted the old scars and burns that crisscrossed his body, evidence of the tragedy that had happened in his younger years.

"Hey man, you ready?" Beasty Boy said nonchalantly.

"Dude, you coulda' given me a heads up, I just showered!" Seymour shook his head and let them in.

Raven looked around the room. It was actually the largest apartment of the complex, undoubtedly for the old landlord, but now in the cyclops's possession. It was rather bare though. The large living room held a bed and a chair, along with a really old TV sitting on a milk crate. The kitchen had a beat up and old refrigerator and a microwave that had also seen better days. She peeked into the doorless master bedroom and noted nothing in there except for a few uniforms in the closet.

"Mi casa es su casa!" Seymour swept his arms out.

Raven and Garfield looked at each other as a large rat ran by carrying a piece of pizza in its mouth. Seymour frowned. "I was saving that for dinner."

"The rat or the pizza?" Raven dared to ask. He didn't answer.

Looking to change the subject, Gar cleared his throat. "Looks just as homey as it was the last time I visited, buddy."

Seymour stared at him and said flatly, "This place is a dump, the building is in terrible shape, and this neighborhood is garbage."

"Being negative is Rae's gig, dude."

Raven let out a little cough. "This place has a bit of Feng shui, in a minimalistic sense."

"Eye see what you did there Raven." Seymour's eye was a laughing face.

"Dude, you can do emoji's on that thing now?" Gar's eyes got wide.

"Yep, Eugene installed them a few days ago. Pretty cool eh?"

"That's sweet!"

The purple haired girl rolled her eyes. "Boys, pay attention. Seymour, get dressed and get your stuff."

Two minutes later, Seymour walked out with a single suitcase and dressed in one of his old uniforms.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

He simply nodded. But before Raven could open a portal, a question mark and an exclamation mark popped up on his visor.

"Uh…Raven…"

"Yes Seymour, I am aware that there is a kitten there."

"Just checking."

"Keep your eye to yourself, See-More."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

If one said that there was an awkward silence awaiting them on the other side of the portal, that might have been underestimating it. Raven, Beast Boy, and See-More were facing both the remaining three Titans of the Central team _and_ Titans East.

Raven was the first to act, nodding at Bumblebee and the others. "Bee, Aqualad, Speedy, Más y Menos, good morning."

"Good morning Raven…hello See-More." Came the reply from the African-American heroine as she looked skeptically at the newest teammate.

"Wait, you want us to take _him?_ He's a bad guy!" Speedy scowled as he twirled his bow in his hands.

"So was Jinx and now she's on our side." Aqualad argued.

"No, she's on _Kid Flash's_ side, squid head." The red-headed archer spat.

"And Kid Flash is on _our_ side, you red headed step child!"

Before the boys' argument could escalate, Bumblebee smacked them both in the back of the head. "Shaddup!"

They both glared at her as she approached See-More, who held out his hand.

"Hiya Bumblebee…been a while, huh?" He said meekly.

"Beast Boy might trust you, but you'll have to prove yourself to me and the others." She jerked her thumb at the guys behind her and then glanced at Raven. "I don't know how you convinced Raven though."

Raven said nothing, just took her jacket off. The sound of a kitten mewing filled there air, causing the other Titans to look around in confusion. Raven, paying them no mind, sat down in a chair of to the side and the mewing stopped. Other than Garfield's and Seymour's, all eyes were on her now.

"Uh..Raven…" Cyborg squinted at her. "Did you just…"

"Meow." She said flatly.

Robin opened his mouth to ask what was going to be a really stupid question when the kitten popped his head out of her shirt. It looked around, then up at Raven and started purring. She smiled and scratched it's tiny head.

"Raven…" The Boy Wonder started, but stopped when the half-demon glared at him. He quickly turned to her boyfriend. "Ahem, Beast Boy, we don't really need any more pets around here…it's not exactly safe for animals."

"Looks like we got a cat, Robin." The changeling sighed. Robin stared at that sullen and defeated expression for a moment before he too sighed.

"Alright, everyone to the training course so we can see what See-More is fully capable of. Raven, control panel, Beast Boy, you're up for first spar and the obstacle course with our new friend."

* * *

See-More did surprisingly well for his first time. He was hands down physically the weakest (barring the much younger Más y Menos) and his hand to hand skills were certainly the worst, but he more than made up for it with his visor. In power training, his eye laser was weaker than Cyborg's sonic cannon and Starfire's starbolt, but it was reasonable to say it was because he didn't have a reliable source of power, to which Cyborg declared that he would make a newer and better source for the cyclops.

His versatility of abilities made him pretty valuable too. His various visions in the electromagnetic spectrum helped him pinpointed and avoid traps and exploit weakspots in the obstacle course, his force bubbles were strong enough to contain Starfire for thirty seconds (which could mean life or death on a battlefield), and while his eye-balloon wasn't subtle or stealthy, it had a broad line of sight in its expanded state. His hypnotism was also pretty effective, seeing how he made Aqualad and Speedy do the Irish River Dance for thirty minutes.

Oddly enough, it had no effect on Beast Boy.

"Alright, we'll do one last spar." Robin said to the collectively tired Titans. He looked around, then grinned. "Beast Boy, Aqualad, you're up. All-out battle."

Garfield glanced at his team leader. "You sure about this Rob? I don't wanna hurt him."

Aqualad scoffed. "Like a little dork like you could hurt me."

Raven's eye twitched and nearby boulder simply exploded. The other Titans looked at Raven wide-eyed. She stared hard at Aqualad.

"No more name calling, Garth." She said in a quiet voice that had a threatening undertone.

Garth shook his head warily, then looked to the other members of his team. They were just as confused as he was, for since when was _Raven_ protective of _Beast Boy?_

Beast Boy glanced at his girlfriend. He could feel her irritation from here and was surprised no one else could. It was practically rolling off of her. She turned her stare to him and he mouthed _You okay?_

 _Of course._ She mouthed back. _Just kick his butt._

 _Right away, my lady_. He bowed his head at her and she looked away, blushing.

"Ready?" Robin shouted.

Garfield exhaled slowly, allowing his animal instincts to kick in at half strength and tapping into his inner animal as well. Something stirred within him, awakening to put down this challenger. He didn't let it fully wake, just enough to draw from it. His skin rippled.

"START!"

Aqualad lunged forward with a strong right hook. Just before it connected the changeling exploded into action.

His head swayed left, around the fist, as he took a single step forward. His left hand snapped up and grabbed ahold of Aqualad side, digging his claws in just enough to grip his friend's ribs. His right hand snapped up and grabbed the left side of the Atlantian's head, taking a similar grip. Before the poor fish man knew what had happened, Gar pushed in the opposite direction with each hand, spinning him in the air twice before the changeling released the grip with his left and used the momentum to slam his friend's head and body six inches deep into solid rock.

The battlefield was silent as the Titans looked at the shapeshifter in shock. Garfield paid them no mind, instead pulling the whimpering Atlantian out of the hole and setting him down.

"Hey Aqualad, did you know that the fruit fly's reaction time is 20 milliseconds?" He asked out loud. His friend looked up at him numbly, so the changeling continued. "That means if I take a moment to adjust my own nervous and muscular systems to be able to move like that then tweak them to have to a condensed version of the muscle mass of a sperm whale that I can hit you _really_ hard."

It was then that Garfield turned to his friends, whose eyes opened wider when they saw the yellow coloring around the changeling's iris. It persisted for a moment and then faded.

"What?" He said, looking around. "I won, right?"

Cyborg turned his head to Raven, who had jumped up from her seat and flown up to her boyfriend. She grabbed him by his head and started turning it this way and that, looking into his eyes at different angles.

"Uhh…Raven? Whatcha doin'?"

"What was that? Do that again!" She demanded.

"What am I doing again?" He asked, confused.

"Thinking!" She yelled. "You had a brilliant idea and your head didn't explode! How did you do it?"

He pouted. "Aw com'on Rae, that kinda hurts."

She glared at him, immensely suspicious of the yellow coloring in his eyes. Reluctantly, she released his head and turned to the others. "Winner…Beast Boy."

* * *

 **I'm having way too much fun with this.**


	8. One Little Accident

**Surprise! Happy Easter everyone!**

 **Well...i dont celebrate easter, but i figure some of ya'll might. I typed his whole thing today just for you guys. Read and Review please!**

 **Oh, and just a heads up...things are gonna start getting a bit lemony from here on out...and I'm not holding back on any violence/language either.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Between Garfield nibbling on her ear and the kitten licking her nose, Raven knew she wasn't getting any extra sleep this morning. In the two weeks since Seymour had left with Titans East, this had become her new alarm clock. It wasn't unpleasant, but they had just battled Doctor Light, Mad Mod, and Killer Moth at the same time yesterday and she was still just a bit tired from it. Gar had actually taken a pretty nasty hit from Doctor Light so she had to heal him after the battle, draining more of her energy. Sometimes it felt like her powers weren't as strong as they used to be, which was a ridiculous concept in and of itself since she had defeated a demonic warlord almost a year ago.

Raven sighed and gently grabbed the kitten. He mewed at her as she sat him down in his bed on the floor beside hers and Garfields'.

"Shush Felix, I'll feed you in a moment." She chided softly. The little black furball curled up and glared at Gar, who snickered.

Raven threw half a glare at her boyfriend. "Gar, don't tease the kitten unless you want him to scratch you again."

The shapeshifter rubbed the tip of his nose in remembrance. "Yeah yeah, okay."

Raven rolled onto her back and looked up at him expectantly. He smiled and kissed her. "Good morning beautiful."

She smiled and melted into his kiss. It had become something that she craved every morning when she woke up, his kiss and his touch lighting a fire in her body that was hard to put out. This morning it was particularly strong as she pulled him down on top of her and kissed him harder. Gar smiled again as he kept his lips locked with his beautiful girlfriend, shifting his weight as he leaned on the knee he placed between her legs near her own knees. He had figured out he could stay in that position longest to kiss her and hadn't missed an opportunity yet to use it.

Well, that was until Raven's legs wrapped around his and pulled him up tight between her legs.

He froze, noting that there was only two thins layers of clothing between his leg and her bottom half. She was _hot_ and it startled him. He pulled back from her kisses and eyed her warily. Raven's breathing was heavy and slow as she looked back at him, a hungry look in her eyes.

"Hey Rae…" He asked tenderly, "Is there something you want?"

She nodded slowly and her eyes darted down towards her chest then back up at him. He smiled and started kissing her again, her lips just as hungry as her eyes. But he only kissed her a little bit this time before he started trailing his kisses across her cheek. When he reached her neck, he gave her a little nibble and she whimpered.

 _She's gotten so sensitive to my touch in the past couple of weeks._ He thought with a chuckle as he nibbled his way down her neck and across her collar bone. One of his hands gently grabbed her shirt and started slowly pulling it up as he started kissing down her chest very slowly. He stopped pulling up at the very peak of her breasts, where one little tug would reveal all to him. He looked up to her. She was trembling and breathing heavier, but she still nodded at him. He leaned down and took her shirt in his mouth…

…and the communicator went off.

* * *

Robin stood in the common room surround by Titans East and his other friends. He was tapping his foot impatiently, wanting to know why Raven and Beast Boy hadn't come out to greet the others yet. No sooner than he huffed in irritation did the call go through.

"Raven, wh-"

" **YOU HAD BETTER HAVE A DAMN FINE REASON TO INTERRUPT, ROBIN."** A demonic and otherworldly voice roared out of the communicator as a billowing black shadow burst from the little yellow device. The darkness quickly engulfed the room, sending the other titans scrambling for cover. Multiple sets of demonic red eyes opened, encompassing the whole room in their glare. They focused on the trembling Boy Blunder. **"IS IT SLADE? TRIGON? IS THE CITY FALLING APART? DO TELL, DEAR ROBIN, I'M DYING TO KNOW WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT!"**

"N-now Raven, I-I didn't know y-you were preoccupied! I'm sorry! I just thought you'd like to k-know that the Titans East are here, back with Seymour!" He stammered as quickly as he could, looking for some kind of escape.

The sound of a very irritated sigh filled the air and the shadows started to recede back into the communicator.

"We'll be out in a minute." Raven snapped and cut the line.

For a moment, Robin stood stone-still. Then he sank slowly to his hands and knees, shaking hard. Cyborg popped his head up from behind the TV.

"Dude, it's cool if you get Raven mad enough to kill you, but leave the rest of us out of it."

Starfire climbed out of a cabinet, let Aqualad out of the refrigerator, and then turned to her boyfriend. "Robin, I believe it is most unwise to bother…Raven…when she is _meditating_ in the morning."

"Right…meditating." Came the shaky response.

* * *

Raven snapped the communicator shut and threw it across the room. It bounced off a wall and the dresser before landing and rolling under the closet door. Garfield wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her head as sighed irritably again.

"Hey Rae, why don' you meditate for a couple of minutes? I'll talk to Felix about using the litterbox again."

Raven nodded silently and assumed her lotus position in the middle of the floor.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion…"

Gar glanced at his meditating girlfriend before he shifted into a green tomcat. He walked over towards Felix, who hadn't flinched the least bit at Raven's outburst. The kitten growled at him.

 _Oh shut up._ The changeling snapped.

 _What do YOU want?_ The kitten growled regardless.

 _You messed on the floor again!_

The kitten was silent, so Gar snatched him up and carried him over to the litter box in the corner of the room and dropped him in.

 _Use it and remember to use it! I showed you how, for crying out loud!_

Felix spat and hissed at him, to which Garfield growled. _You know, Raven wasn't happy that you didn't use it._

 _That_ got the little black furballs' attention. _She was mad?_ He mewed.

 _Yeah and she fussed at ME for it._ The green cat huffed before he turned his stare to the floating girl. _Look…just use it, okay? It'll make her happy._

The kitten looked at the unnatural feline for a long moment before he started scratching around. _Okay._

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Raven and Beast Boy walked into the common room together. Bumblebee noticed immediately but didn't say anything. Raven had her hood down, which was unusual. She had also walked in with Beast Boy, which was even more unusual. Bee gave Cyborg a questioning glance, but he didn't notice.

"Mornin' you two. Are you…feeling better this morning, Raven?" Cyborg asked slyly.

"I would have been feeling great if it wasn't for _someone_." The young sorceress mumbled just under her breath. Bee, who had been sitting close enough to hear this comment, raised her eyebrows and watched Raven approach the kitchen, Beast Boy at her side. She pulled a penny out of her pocket and flicked it at Cyborg. It tinged off his head and he turned to see her gesturing confusedly at her fellow Titans.

"Watch this." Cy whispered. Turning to the kitchen. "Hey B, Raven, why don't ya'll make breakfast for our friends? It could like a welcome back and welcome to the team mini-party!"

The teen couple stopped next to the table and looked at each other. Beast Boy jerked his head at the kitchen. "You wanna?"

"Sure." Raven nodded, then looked over her shoulder. "Felix, go play for a bit while I cook."

There was small meow and the little black kitten jumped out of her hood onto her shoulder, where she took him gently and set him on the floor. He scampered off to the living room, where some of his toys were. The jingling of a ball sounded in the air.

The older members of Titans East all looked at one another while Más y Menos dashed off to play with the kitten. Aqualad, Speedy, and Bumblebee all took seats at the table near the kitchen and watched something that was unbelievable.

"Hey Rae, whatcha want this morning?" Beast Boy asked as he slipped on an apron that read _Beast of a Cook_ as Raven put one on that said _Four More, Quoth the Cook_.

"How about we make eggs, waffles, and bacon? Something simple since there are more of us today?" Raven opened the fridge and pulled out a few cartons of eggs, milk, bacon, and waffle mix with her magic.

"We just had eggs yesterday." Gar said, turning the stove on.

"No, we had breakfast fajitas yesterday. We had vegan omelets the day before and eggs the day before that." Raven rolled her eyes as she set the ingredients down and started cracking eggs into a bowl that her boyfriend had set out for her.

Gar rolled his eyes as well as his arms shifted to multiple octopus limbs. He took the waffle mix and set about to making several batches in separate bowls at the same time. "Aren't you supposed to be allergic to chicken?"

"No Gar, I'm allergic to chicken feathers, not eggs."

"Riiiight." He rolled his eyes fakely, causing Raven to throw an eggshell at him. It bounced off his head but was snatched out of the air by a tentacle and tossed in the trashcan. He chuckled and flipped the radio on with a free limb.

"Okay, what the heck is going on? When did you two get so friendly?!"

Garfield and Raven turned to look at Bumblebee, who had stood up and was leaning forward on her hands staring at them in amazement. Speedy and Aqualad wore the same expression.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be friendly with my boyfriend?"

Three jaws hit the table and struggled to find the words of disbelief that ran screaming through their minds. _Raven_ _dating Beast Boy?!_

"How…when…?" Aqualad choked out.

"Since the party." Raven glanced at him, her eyebrow still raised. Garfield looked at her in surprise.

"You consider us to be together that long?"

She nodded as she looked at him. "I thought about it and that's what felt right. Does it bother you?"

"HECK NO IT DON'T!" He practically shouted.

Raven smiled. "Great. Now turn the radio up, there's a good song starting."

"Watch this." Cyborg whispered and nudged Bumblebee in the arm lightly.

The other Titans watched in silence as the couple sang along with the song in tandem, moving in almost perfect synchronization with each other as they cooked. And thus they sang.

 _My head is haunting me and my heart feels like a ghost_

 _I need to feel something, cause I'm still so far from home_

 _Cross your heart and hope to die_

 _Promise me you'll never leave my side_

 _Show me what I can't see when the spark in my eyes is gone_

 _You got me on my knees, I'm your one man cult_

 _Cross my heart and hope to die_

 _Promise you I'll never leave your side_

 _Cause I'm telling you, you're all I need_

 _I promise you you're all I see_

 _Cause I'm telling you, you're all I need_

 _I'll never leave_

 _So you can drag me through Hell_

 _If it meant I could hold your hand_

 _I will follow you cause I'm under your spell_

 _And you can throw me to the flames_

 _I will follow you, I will follow you_

They paused to kiss just once before starting again.

 _Come sink into me and let me breathe you in_

 _I'll be your gravity, you be my oxygen_

 _So dig two graves cause when you die_

 _I swear I'll be leaving by your side_

 _So you can drag me through Hell_

 _If it meant I could hold your hand_

 _I will follow you cause I'm under your spell_

 _And you can throw me to the flames_

 _I will follow you_

 _So you can drag me through Hell_

 _If it meant I could hold your hand_

 _I will follow you cause I'm under your spell_

 _And you can throw me to the flames_

 _I will follow you, I will follow you_

 _I will follow you, I will follow you_

 _So you can drag me through Hell_

 _If it meant I could hold your hand_

 _I will follow you cause I'm under your spell_

 _And you can throw me to the flames_

 _I will follow you, I will follow you_

Even as the song faded from the radio, the couple hummed it quietly. Raven bumped shoulders with her lover, to which he responded by leaning over and kissing her cheek. Smiling, Raven lifted several platters of fresh eggs, bacon, and waffles with her magic and set them on the table. Más y Menos immediately popped up and started speaking rapidly in Spanish to Beast Boy.

"Woah, hold on guys, I can't listen that fast." He waved his hands. They repeated what they said and he nodded. "Okay, four crispy waffles with blueberries, coming up!'

"You speak Spanish, Gar?" Raven looked at him, surprised.

"I can't speak it very well but I understand enough of the language to translate from Guatemalan." He said as he as he set up more waffles. He looked over at Raven. "Go ahead and eat, Rae, I'm gonna make a tofu omelet."

She nodded and joined her friends.

A few minutes and several waffles later, Raven was sipping her glass of orange juice when Gar finally sat down next to her. She crinkled her nose in disgust at the smell. Noticing, Gar started wolfing it down as fast as he could.

He stopped at the last bite, his eyes darting to his girlfriend. She shook her head.

"No way Gar, you know I don't even like the smell of it."

"Aw come on Rae, just one little bite? This is ten times better than any other tofu I offer you!" He set the last bit down on her empty plate.

She sighed. "I'll think about it. Just go ahead and finish off the waffles, I know you want to."

He laughed and piled his plate high with waffles. Before he could start chowing down though, Bumblebee stopped him with a question.

"Say Beast Boy, where did you go on Valentine's night?"

All five original members of Titans Central froze for a moment before resuming their meals. Raven and Beast Boy pointedly did not answer or even look at Bumblebee, who was becoming more suspicious by the second. Cyborg tried, in vain, to change the topic to football, then video games, then the weather.

Bumblebee had just leaned forward to say something else when Raven sighed irritably. "Just drop it, Karen."

"So you two DID-"

"Drop. It. Now." Raven said coldly.

"No way in hell, girl. This is too serious." Karen slammed her hand on the table. "What if you're-"

"I'm not."

"You can't expect me to believe-"

"I'm an empath, Karen. I think I would know better than anyone."

"Yeah? Well we all thought you hated Beast Boy's guts and look at what's in front of me!"

"Karen, what you are suggesting is physiologically impossible for me!" Raven shouted, making the building shake.

Bumblebee froze. "Impossible?"

Raven rubbed her temples, face in her hands. "Yes, impossible. Half-demons are sterile. It's been proven for thousands of years by magicians stronger than me and scientists smarter than me in societies ten times more advanced than ours that half-demons _cannot have children._ "

"Oh…that's what ya'll are talking about, huh?" Gar said quietly.

Raven's head sunk. "I'm sorry Gar, I wasn't going to tell you until we were older."

"No big deal, Rae, I can't have kids either."

Her head jerked up and she looked at him. "What?"

"My DNA is too unstable for that kind of thing. It's like going out into space and singing a song, hoping that someone will hear it one day."

"When were you going to tell me?" Raven asked quietly.

"When we were older." He chuckled.

Raven laughed mirthlessly and wrapped her arm around his. She leaned her head against his with a hopeless smile. "We're just two of a kind, aren't we?"

Garfield laughed. "Pretty much, Rae. That also explains why you went all 'mommy' on the kitten."

"Shush." Raven bumped her head against his, then glanced down at his single bite of tofu omelet. She shrugged and grabbed her fork. Spearing the gross smelling food item, she popped it in her mouth before she could smell it.

And then promptly emptied her stomach all over her boyfriend.

* * *

Raven sat with her head in her hands in the living room as far from the vomit covered table and carpet as best as she could. Garfield had to leave the room altogether and shower just to get the stench off of him.

"That was absolutely horrible." Raven whispered. Bumblebee put her hand on her friend's shoulder and glanced towards the kitchen, where Aqualad was using his hydrokinetic powers to wash the remaining vomit-covered items and dump the water deep into the drain.

"Raven…I know what you said…but are you sure?" Karen said quietly.

The indigo-haired sorceress shook her head. "It's impossible, Karen, but I will admit there is something wrong with me. Something has been off for a couple of weeks now."

"What happened to going to Nevermore for answers?" Cyborg asked as he walked up and handed her a glass of water.

"I haven't gotten around to it." Raven said defensively as she sipped her water and looked away.

"Raven…are you being… _lazy?_ " Cy asked, bug-eyed.

She glared at him. "No. I just haven't done it yet. I haven't felt like it."

Karen raised an eyebrow. "Then what _have_ you felt like lately?"

The Azarathian girl shrugged. "Just tired. My emotions have been a bit unstable but it's been nothing to worry about. Nothing has blown up, at least."

"Been using the bathroom a lot?"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "I drink tea and water, so I'm pretty regular."

"Nausea?"

"Only when I smell that nasty tofu."

"Food cravings?"

Raven turned her head and stared at her friend questioningly. "No? I've tried some of Gar's vegan meals, but that's it."

"Sensitive…" Karen looked at the boys as they all walked up then back at Raven, "Skin?"

Raven looked uncomfortable. "A bit, yeah."

"Why don't we take this conversation elsewhere?" Karen took Raven by the arm and escorted her from the room, an uneasy looking Starfire in tow as well.

* * *

Karen shut and locked the infirmary door after checking to make sure they weren't followed. She turned to Raven, hands on her hips. "Okay girl, when was your last dot?"

Raven blinked. "My what?"

"Last monthly?"

"I still have no idea what you're talking about."

"Your last period! When was it?!" Karen practically shouted.

Raven stared at her friend and spoke simply. "I don't have those."

The look on Bumblebee's face cannot be transcribed into words as she stood there staring at the girl in front of her.

"What do you mean you don't have those?! You're a girl, aren't you?!" She sputtered.

"Karen, I'm only half human. And for that matter, the humans I'm descended from are from a different dimension. While the base origins of these humans are from Earth, they evolved differently over the course of 500 years due to the dimension they came to inhabit. I've never had an appendix, to give you an example. Combine that physiology with the fact that the other half of me is demon and their radically different physiology…" Raven shrugged.

Karen was almost speechless as she turned to Starfire. "Did you know about this?"

"I am afraid so, friend Karen." Starfire said meekly. "I must be truthful as well…I do not suffer from this 'period' that you speak of."

"She's alien, a whole different species altogether." Raven pointed out.

Karen sighed and looked pretty upset, but she pulled herself together. "Alright, fine then. But you're still taking the test."

"Test?" Star and Raven said at the same time.

"Yep." Karen went to the small yellow cabinet marked 'Ladies' and opened it up. She rooted around for a moment (taking note of all the dust in there), before pulled out a little box. She opened it up and handed a pen-like object to Raven.

"And just what am I doing with this?" Raven looked the pen up and down, noting the small rod on one end.

"You gotta pee on it."

Raven froze and then slowly looked to the insect-based heroine in front of her. "I what?"

"You heard me!" Karen said as she pushed Raven into the restroom and shut the door.

"This is utterly pointless." She heard Raven said on the other side of the door.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Raven stomped towards the infirmary.

"Hold on Raven, wait!" Karen called out.

"No, this is pointless!" Raven spat. "I've taken your damned test four times already and each one said negative!"

"Come on Raven, there's just one more. The rest could have just expired cause they've been in the cabinet for so long." Karen said weakly.

The young sorceress inhaled and exhaled to calm herself down, but she couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice. "No. Taking all those tests just rubs salt in the wound that I will never be able to have a child of my own. Just leave it be."

"I'm sorry Raven…I didn't mean it like that." Karen sighed quietly.

Before Raven could say anything else, the klaxon started to blare.

 _ **INTRUDER ALERT INTRUDER ALERT INTRUDER ALERT ALL HANDS TO THE MAIN ROOM**_

Raven, Starfire, and Bumblebee bolted from the room, flying at high speed down the hallways.

When they reached the main room, they found very sickening sight to behold. There were only six intruders, but they were far more deadly than the standard foes the Titan's usually faced.

Raven immediately noted the largest one, a massively muscled African-American man in a tank top and blue jeans, had her lover by the throat an easy four feet off the ground. He sneered, his four demonic eyes narrowing, and released the changeling. But the unconscious shapeshifter didn't hit the ground. Instead, in mid-drop he was kicked hard in the abdomen. The sound of crunching bones was followed swiftly by screeching metal as he was launched through the northern doors.

" _GARFIELD!"_ Raven screamed.

"Ah, so she _is_ here." Another African-American man with four eyes said. This one was in a suit and clearly the leader. "Kill the others and capture our dear sister."

" _AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!"_ The sorceress screamed as she thrust her hands forward, her magic blasting the suited man away and then hitting the larger man in the back. He cried out in pain and Raven glanced around.

Robin and Speedy were constantly dodging a very tall and thin half demon with long hair and massive claws. He was just as fast as the two of them but didn't quite have the reflexes to catch either one. They were constantly hitting him with arrows and birdarangs, but they showed little effect.

 _Sloth_ , she thought.

Starfire and Cyborg had their projectile attacks locked in combat with a short, bald, and very fat half demon, his own dark magic keep keeping pace and even beginning to overpower the two powerful Titans. He was drooling and eyeballing Starfire like she was some sort of prime rib roast.

 _Gluttony._

Más y Menos went tumbling by, beating each other as only children could do. A half demon in a silvery blue skin-tight body suit was following them, a blade of dark magic in his hands as he laughed at the children whom he had enchanted. See-More blasted him from behind, causing him to cry out in pain.

 _Lust._

Bumblebee flew forward and began blasting the suit wearing demon, not letting him recover from Raven's attack. He managed to block and launch a few attacks of his own, but he simply couldn't keep up with Karen's speed.

 _Greed?_

Aqualad, on the other hand, was having an issue with his half demon opponent. Said demon had shapeshifted into Aquaman, of all people. Torn between fighting what appeared to be a four eyed version of the person he looked up to the most and the four eyed version of the person he _hated_ the most, the young Atlantian just couldn't keep his balance mentally at all.

 _Definitely Envy._

Raven turned her eyes back to the largest of the half demons. _Wrath._

Her magic propelled her forward at a neck breaking speed as she gathered a huge amount of magic in her hand to strike Wrath. Mere seconds before she could hit him, he jumped to the side out of her way and snatched her by the throat. He didn't hesitate to drive his fist into Raven's stomach three times then once in the head, knock the breath from her lungs and knocking her out.

Wrath looked over his shoulder. "Hey Greed, I got her."

"Good work, now bring out Pride and we'll kill these pathetic fools." Greed called out, earning another blast on the back from Bumblebee.

Wrath turned back to the unconscious girl in his hands and focused on her intently. In mere seconds he was blasted away from Raven. Picking himself up, he saw that Raven's demonic eyes had opened and her cloak had turned the color of dried blood.

"Sister Pride." He nodded.

" **For what purpose do you fools seek me?"** Pride/Raven's voice was quiet but the sheer weight of power behind it stopped all combat in the room. Titans and demons alike separated.

"We're here to take you from the pathetic ingrates you reside with, return you to your full demonic glory and resurrect Trigon." Greed said, rubbing his head where a nasty burn from Bumblebee's energy stingers was oozing.

" **Trigon is dead, slain by my own hands in a purified state of mind."**

"We are aware of this sister, but we have found were his essence lies in a pocket dimension. With our power, we can restore him and he will reward us with more power."

" **It would take you centuries to resurrect him and you do not have the lifespan for such an act."**

"We are aware of this also, sister, which is why we came to you…"

" **I do not care if Trigon returns. I am content with what I have."**

The demons looked at each other uneasily. Raven's demon half was not only supposed to be the strongest amongst them, but the most evil as well. She should have jumped at the opportunity to take control of the body and return their father to glory. This…was not expected.

Wrath snorted. "Then we will take you by force."

" **Is that so?"** Pride/Raven sneered. **"That's adorable, but you'll have to get past my guardian first."**

Gluttony snorted. "These weaklings? I'll eat them before long. Especially the red-heads, they're so tasty!"

Pride/Raven's dark and mocking laughter filled the room, drowning out all other sound. Titan and demon alike stared at her until she stopped. She made as if wiping a tear away from her eyes, never minding the blood pouring down from her forehead where Wrath had struck her.

" **Poor, stupid Gluttony. You never were the brightest of my brothers, just the one with the largest reserves of magic."** She sneered again before turning to the destroyed doors nearby.

" _ **BEAST! I SUMMON YOU! YOUR PACK NEEDS YOU! YOUR MATE NEEDS YOU**_ **!"**

A low growl sounded from the hallway, followed by the crackling of bones. The growl got louder and louder, vibrating the very walls of the room. The sheer ferocity and feral madness that reverberated within the sound made the Titans retreat to the outer edges of the room. The demons didn't miss this and fell back into a defensive formation.

And then it stepped out of the shadows of the hallway.

Easily ten foot tall and twice the width of Wrath, the green furred creature was nothing less than a nightmarish mass of rippling muscles with claws like serrated knives, teeth like swords, and a murderous look in its feral eyes.

"What in the hells is _that_?" Envy gulped, suddenly feeling very small.

" **This, dear brothers, is my guardian, my mate, my love, and the single most important thing to me in all of existence."** Pride/Raven purred as the Beast stopped in front of her. It leaned down and sniffed her, giving the gash on her forehead a small lick. It immediately stopped bleeding and closed up, the healing factor in the Beast's saliva reacting with the wound. The Beast rubbed his head against Pride/Raven's head and made a soft noise that sounded like a snuffled woof.

" **Yes my love, I am alright. I missed you as well."** The demoness murmured softly. **"Are your wounds healed?"**

The Beast snuffle-woofed again, leaning over more as his head traveled down towards her stomach. He sniffed for a moment and then rubbed his head gently against her as he purred.

" **So you know, hmm?"** Pride/Raven smiled and rubbed his head. Another snuffled-woof and she laughed a little, this one soft. **"You're right; I could hide it from Raven but not from you."**

She turned her attention to the demons, which were standing and staring warily at this new opponent. The demoness took her mate's head and pulled it up to hers' to look him in the eye. **"My love, these demons seek to take me from you and harm us. Will you kill them for me?"**

The Beast turned his head slowly and looked at the demons, licking his protruding fangs. Wrath snorted.

"Enough of this bullshit! It's just an animal!" He roared before charging the verdant beast in front of him. The Beast met him with an open grapple and they locked hands, straining against each other. Wrath grinned and pulsed his power through his hands, seeking to make his opponent lose control and reason. The Beast seemed to snarl and smile at the same time as his bones crackled once more, his skin becoming tighter as it added and condensed more muscles onto his frame. Within minutes, Wrath was being bent over backwards, much to his horror.

" **Oh, dear Wrath, I forgot to mention something. My mate and I are bonded. The more wrath you fill him with, the more it feeds me. The more powerful I become, the more the stronger our bond is. The stronger our bond is, the stronger my beast is."** She laughed. **"It's an amazing cycle, really. We could in theory, ascend to godhood at some point just from feeding each other in such a way."**

"Where did this monster come from?" Wrath gasped as his back bones started to break.

" **Remember the little green guy you kicked through the door a few minutes ago?"**

Wrath suddenly remember his constant insulting of the changeling, telling him that he was weak and useless, a disgrace to anyone that had the ability to fight. He looked up into the eyes of the Beast and cursed.

"Oh, fuck."

The Beast snapped his head forward and ripped half of Wrath's face and all of this throat out with his jaws. Wrath dropped, dying as he hit the floor. Pride/Raven's guardian raised his head to the ceiling and howled his victory.

Now in a full state of bloodlust, he sprung towards the remaining demons, ripping Greed in half at the waist. Greed collapsed on the floor, reaching out for Sloth, the fastest of them. Sloth shook his head, opened a portal and vanished into it. Envy and Lust followed almost instantly, but Gluttony ran forward and began to blast his sister with all the energy he had stolen from Starfire and Cyborg, plus his own.

"You bitch! You were supposed to lead us to glory and all the power we could dream of!" He snarled, forcing his magic to its utmost limits to try to kill her.

The demoness, on the other hand, was barely fazed by the amount of magic she had to expel to counter his attack. She stood there smiling.

"What the fuck are you smiling for?!" Gluttony screeched. His half-sister pointed behind him and he turned just in time to see the back of the Beast's hand connect with his head. Blood covered the wall, as did chunks of flesh and bone from the demons head. Gluttony's corpse toppled to the ground, spurting blood.

The Beast growled, sniffing the air to make sure the surviving demons had left. Satisfied, he stomped over to his mate. She embraced him with a happy sigh.

" **That was wonderful, my love."**

The verdant animal wrapped his powerful arms around her, lifted her off the ground and set her gently on the counter. She smiled at him once more and cradled his head against her chest, his purrs sending a shiver of delight through her body.

"Um…Raven?" A small voice spoke up.

Pride/Raven looked up from petting her mate and saw the Titans standing on the far side of the room.

" **I actually forgot you were here, to be honest."** The demoness chuckled darkly, then pointedly stared at Bumblebee. **"You can administer another test when we return to consciousness. My power will be too weak to hide it from Raven."**

"Hide what?" Bumblebee asked shakily, looking around at all the blood in the room.

" **The child in our womb, of course."** She sighed. **"I was going to hide it from her as long as possible, but these idiots had to show up and make me expend most of the power I had shielding the child from prying eyes such as yours."**

"But…you said…and Beast Boy said…"

Two of the demonic eyes closed and Raven teetered to the side as Garfield began to shift back into his human form, albeit unconscious. She caught herself and looked Karen dead in the eye before she passed out. **"My dear,** _ **anything**_ **can be done with magic if you're creative enough. And this was** _ **no**_ **accident."**

* * *

 _Aw shit, who was expecting that?!-Foamy  
_


	9. One Little Heart to Mind

**HEEEYYOOOOO!**

 **Sorry for taking so long with this ;_; work has been a pain in my ass, not to mention the hotel i stayed in for several days diDN'T HAVE ANY FREAKING INTERNET.**

 **(insert paragraph of unadulterated but incomprehensible rage)**

 **Anyways...This particular had a section that was difficult to write, the first half. I'm an immersive writer/reader, so since something like this has never happened to me, it was...problematic. Still, I wrote it and rewrote it until I found something that was to my liking. It ain't perfect in my opinion, but it'll do nicely. The middle part contains some LEMON, so if yer not into that, skip it. I've got it marked for ya. The rest of the story has actually been in the making since Chapter 3 was written. I was looking for something unique and I think i found it. I hope yall enjoy it :D  
**

 **On another note, I think I'll address my reviewers this time, at least for those who've commented on Chapter 8. :)**

 **Viper5delta- The shenanigans you were curious about get addressed in this chapter and they are a bit more than you think. Also, the role playing game I mentioned several chapters back is quite real. Here's the link, if you wish to look it over. wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade**

 **RPGPersona- I pulled a fast one on ya on Easter, didn't I? lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter, your reviews are always appreciated!**

 **mochafraptor- Thanks dude, I had a lot of fun coming up with it. I've read so many fan fics that contort to the same Dark Raven/Beast mechanic that I was compelled to make mine drastically different. After all, they're just teenagers!**

 **Break Blade- Hopefully this will clear up a few of yer Dues Ex Machina misgivings! And don't worry, as the story progresses, more of those will be explained! Enjoy!**

 **Santoramon- This chapter answers your question, my friend! I hope you enjoy it :D**

 **Fawhead- DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN!**

 **Bluedog197- Glad you enjoyed it dude, there's a little bit more of my Dark Raven/Beast combo in this chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Guest whom said "dude this is fucking awesome"- Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter too! :D**

 **Read and review please, I love hearing from you guys and gals!**

* * *

Seven hours ago, Raven had woken up to find her whole world had not only turned upside down, but had been torn inside out and flipped sideways as well. Dark Raven (Raven's demon half a.k.a. Rage/Pride) had relinquished all her memories of the fight and had barred no details. It had taken Raven an hour to calm down enough to take the pregnancy test again, much to the dismay of her friends. Her little emotional rampage destroyed the medical equipment in the infirmary, amounting to a damage cost that had Cyborg weeping. After throwing everyone else out of the room, she took the test.

Six hours later she was still sitting on the hospital bed, staring at the test in shock.

Positive.

 _How could this have happened? I was always told that I was infertile, completely incapable of having children. Did the monks lie to me? Did mother lie to me? Why would they lie to me about this? Is that why they had me cut off my emotions? I know it was to fight Trigon in the end, but was it also to stop me from forming attachments and not having children so that Trigon wouldn't have other opportunities to rise? Why couldn't they just tell me the truth? Or is this possible because I'm Trigon's daughter? Considering how many siblings I have, is it possible that his fertility passed down to me?_

Question upon question upon question bombarded her constantly, giving her no peace or reprieve. It had been this way for six hours now, with no answers in sight. There had been noises and shouting many times from outside the door, but she never heard them.

She most certainly did not hear Robin when he kicked the ventilation shaft's vent cover off and dropped down out of it. He approached her warily, noting the non-existent wall where the window of the infirmary once was.

"Raven?" He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up, her eyes whirling with misery, fright, uncertainness, and hopelessness. Robin cringed inwardly, but took a seat next to her.

"Look," He squeezed her shoulder gently, "I don't really know what to say and I don't know how you're feeling right now, but I'm here for you Raven. We all are. We're family."

"I'm terrified." She whispered. "I'm not ready for this, I can't be a mother. I barely know what it's like to be free from my father."

"It's going to be okay Raven." The Boy Wonder squeezed her shoulder once more. "It's going to be a long and tough road ahead, but I think you're strong enough for it. You're the strongest and most hopeful person I know, and I was trained by Batman, ya know."

"Maybe…maybe I should get an a-"

Robin jumped out in front of her and took her by both shoulders and shook her gently. "Don't you _even_ start thinking that! Even as scared as you are, would that really be right? I know it's your body and your life, but does that _really_ sound like the right thing to do?"

Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "No, that sounds even more horrible. I'm sorry I even started thinking it."

"Don't apologize to me, Raven. Apologize to Beast Boy for not thinking about he feels about it. Didn't you promise to not shut him out?" Robin chided her softly.

Her eyes opened wide. "Garfield! How is he?!"

Robin really did flinch this time. "He's…not taking anything well right now. We didn't tell him about you but we told him about the demons…abrupt departure."

"Is he okay?"

"He's been just like you for six hours. Sitting in shock." Robin shook his head slowly. "Nobody can get a reaction out of him."

Raven shot up so quickly she got lightheaded and had to lean on her friend. They walked quietly to the door. Upon opening it, Raven was greeted with a mew. She looked down to find Felix sitting in front of the door, tired and hungry.

"What are you doing here?" Raven asked softly leaned down and scooped him up. He started mewing at her, his hunger now more obvious.

"He's been guarding the door this whole time. He wouldn't let anybody near it." Robin rubbed his leg, thinking of the claw marks he was sure would be still visible when he changed clothes in the evening.

"I'm sorry Felix." Raven whispered and kissed the kitten's head. She turned to her friend. "Will you get a can of wet food from mine and Gar's room? It's right by the door."

To her surprise, the caped crusader took the kitten from her after nodding. "Yeah, I'll take care of him, don't worry."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "I thought Felix didn't like you?"

Robin gave her a small smile. "I think he likes me now. When the fighting started, I tossed him through the west hallway door and shut it."

Raven gave Felix a small smile and pet his head, causing the kitten to purr. "Thank you Robin."

He smiled and nodded before walking away with the purring kitten.

"His formula is in the fridge!" Raven called out to him. He just waved.

The young (and pregnant) sorceress made her way to the common room. She could feel the presence of Starfire (bright but worried) and Cyborg (cool and mechanical, very worried) in the room, along with a presence that could only be described as numb. It had to be Garfield. She quickened her pace.

Stepping through the door, she noted the heavy atmosphere in the room. Starfire was sprinkling a powdery orange substance across the blood stained carpet, floor, and wall. Cyborg was sitting next to Beast Boy on the stairs, talking about anything and everything that came to mind just trying to get a reaction of some sort from his friend. But the changeling was silent, his mind, body, and soul in complete shock, his emerald eyes completely unfocused.

Raven approached them quietly. Cyborg looked at her, then glanced at his inert friend before he got up and joined Starfire.

"Gar?" She called softly. His mouth and nose was covered by his hands, but there was a flicker of a response in his eyes.

She kneeled down in front of him and gently reached out and grabbed his wrists. "Garfield…please look at me."

A small light shimmered in his eyes when he heard his name. Slowly, his eyes refocused and he looked up at her.

"Raven," he whispered hoarsely, "I killed someone."

The raw horror and disgust of his actions throbbed in his soul now as the shock wore off. It grieved him to have taken a life. To have taken three lives was breaking him apart from the inside. It washed over Raven like a tidal wave.

"Gar, you did it to protect me."

"I killed three people." The tears started pouring from his unblinking eyes, his agony joining his other emotions.

"Garfield, please stop. It's not your fault, it's mine. I asked you to." Raven was blinking back her own tears, her own emotional walls starting to crumble.

"You don't understand." He started shaking. "I would have killed them if you hadn't asked me, to protect you."

His eyes started shifting back and forth between himself and his feral side as he shook harder, his reality threatening to break right in front of him.

"I killed three people. I'm just a monster."

"Stop it!" Raven yelled as she grabbed his head and shook it. The feral look in his eyes faded and he stared at her in fear.

"Just stop it." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, unable to stop her tears now. "Stop talking like that. You're not a monster, Gar. You're the most important thing in the world to me and I won't let you think like this. Do you understand? _You're not a monster_. Get it out of your head. Please don't walk down that road, I need you. _We_ need you."

"Why would the others need a murderer on their team?" He whispered, closing his eyes as he wept into his beloved's shoulder.

"I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about us…"

"Us?" He pulled back confusedly and tried to blink the tears from his eyes.

"I'm pregnant." She said so quietly that he almost didn't hear her.

Garfield really did stop breathing this time. But it was only for a couple of minutes.

"How?" He croaked.

Raven shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I don't know, but it has something to do with my demon half."

The changeling's head sank back into his hands and he started cursing himself. Raven took her lover's head in her hands and pulled it up to look at her.

"I really screwed up this time, didn't I?" He sighed.

His love shook her head. "No, you just fell for a troublesome girl. A girl that wants to stay at your side."

The changeling gave a soft and mirthless chuckle. "When did you get so hopeful and optimistic?"

"Robin told me that I was the most hopeful person he knew." Raven embraced him again, willing herself to project calming waves of emotion onto her boyfriend. "And a certain green boy spent years coming to my when I needed someone, whether I knew it or not. I'll spend the rest of my life paying him back for that."

"Jumping the gun a bit, huh Rae?" He joked lightly as he slowly but surely calmed down, his soul being soothe by hers.

The purple haired girl pulled back and pointed at her stomach. "I'd say we both jumped that gun."

"Fair enough." Gar tenderly reached out and rubbed her stomach. "How far along are you?"

"Well, since it only happened once…" Her hand wrapped around his. "About six weeks, give or take a few days."

"When do you…" He hesitated.

"Give birth? I think its forty weeks, though it might be different for me." She said softly, then turned her eyes away from him. "If you want to keep it, that is."

Gar hesitated. "Do you think we should?"

"I don't know." The teen girl said, still speaking softly. "I'm scared, Gar. I'm not ready for this and I am most certainly not suited for it. I'd almost rather face Trigon again than go through this."

"I wonder if his head would explode if you told him you were pregnant." Garfield mused.

"Don't _even_ joke about that."

Her lover chuckled. "I know, sorry Rae."

"So…do you want to keep it?"

Garfield's reply was instantaneous. "Of course, but it's your decision. It's your body, babe."

Raven's eyes drifted towards the floor. "What if I didn't want to?"

"I wouldn't be happy but I would support you every step of the way."

Her gaze drifted up to his eyes and she could see the sadness in them. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him silently, wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"Do you think we could even be parents?" She murmured softly.

"Dunno, but it wouldn't stop me from trying."

"I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"We weren't ready for each other and look where we are now." Her green lover chuckled as he pulled away and then kissed her as he wrapped her in his embrace.

Raven couldn't help smiling as she rubbed noses with Gar. "Alright, we'll see how it goes. But for the record, I think this is a bad idea."

The sound of a vacuum interrupted their conversation. The teenaged parents-to-be turned and looked towards the sound. It was Starfire, cleaning up a red powdery substance. Raven took the father of her child by the hand and led him over there, where they waited quietly. After several minutes, it had all been vacuumed up.

"Starfire, wasn't that orange when I walked by?" Raven asked, eyeballing the clean carpet.

"Yes, friend Raven." Starfire gave them a smile even as she noted the haunted look in Beast Boy's eyes. "The drigblof powder is most excellent for cleaning up many different types of fluids."

"It smells really familiar." Garfield sniffed the air.

"The primary ingredient is zorka berries crushed into a fine powder." The girl from Tamaran smiled even wider.

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Raven shook her head.

"Is there anything zorka berries _can't_ do?" The verdant shapeshifter laughed a little at his joke.

"There are a number of things, yes." Starfire's smile shifted to a small frown. "They cannot dispel flatulence or be eaten with flibrit jelly or cure the earthly disease known as cancer, nor can they dispel the effects of a myuilian potion or be baked without becoming like stones unless properly prepared beforehand, or-"

"Starfire, it was a rhetorical question." Cyborg said from near the wall, tossing a washcloth into a bucket of 'dirty' water. Beast Boy made a point to not look at the bucket.

"Oh." Starfire looked down at the vacuum in her hands, then looked up to the couple in front of her. "Are you two well now?"

"I feel like a martini, shaken not stirred." Gar joked as he leaned lightly against Raven. She rolled her eyes but gave a little chuckle.

"Well now that you're both feeling better, we need to know what that was all about Raven." Came a voice from the other side of the table. Beast Boy and Raven walked over and found Robin sitting on the floor feeding a little bit of wet food mixed with kitten formula to Felix.

Raven sat at the table and shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure _what_ it was about, but I know _who_ they were. They were six of my half-brothers, all of us fathered by Trigon."

"You had six siblings?" Gar sat next to her and rubbed his head. "Talk about a terrible family reunion."

"Actually, I have six hundred and sixty six siblings." Raven said in an almost offhand manner.

All eyes turned on her, disbelieving what she just said. She just shrugged. "Trigon."

"Yeah well, they're down by three now." Cyborg said with a grim smile. Beast Boy flinched, but said nothing.

"The six that attacked are the only ones that matter. The rest are just regular demons or half demons. The ones that attacked, Greed, Wrath, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, and Sloth, were given specific powers by Trigon that associated with their names. My demon half is designated Pride." Raven shuddered. "The fact that they wanted to resurrect Trigon is disturbing. I thought he was actually destroyed, but it appears I was very wrong. I really should look into where his essence lies and turn the information over to someone strong enough to destroy it."

"Why don't we put a pin in that for now, Raven?" This came from Robin, much to everyone's surprise. Normally, he'd jump to take a villain out of the picture for good.

He stared back at them. "What? You and Beast Boy have a more important problem right now."

"Is it true, friend Raven?" Starfire asked cautiously. "Are you with child?"

"Yeah Star, it's true." Raven nodded and leaned her head against Gar's.

"That is most wondrous news!" Starfire squealed and leapt towards her friends to hug them. Beast Boy stopped her with an upraised hand.

"No Star, it's _not_ wondrous news. It's _terrifying_ news." He scolded. "We're too young for this."

Star hesitated. "Are you? On my planet, we're all at the age where marriage and children is common."

"We're not on your planet, Starfire."

"Yes, but I have seen this practice before on Earth."

"It's a situational thing, but it's either way, it's not right." Raven raised a disapproving eyebrow at her alien friend, who wilted and looked away. Guilt radiated from her but Raven had no idea why. It was probably from presuming that this was a joyous occasion instead of a scary one.

"Yer gonna keep it, right?" Cy asked warily. The teenaged couple hesitated, looked to one another, then back at the mechanical man and nodded.

"Right," He said thoughtfully, "So I need to expand a room or combine two so that you two have a nursery. Should be interesting."

"You guys are taking this rather well." Raven said slowly, cautiously at that.

"Well, there isn't anything we can do about it now, so we have to go with it." Robin stated matter-of-factly as he picked up Felix and set him in Raven's outstretched hands.

She looked around at her friends. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

Cyborg scowled. "Girl, if we can be okay with Rob obsessing over Slade, Star's lovely cooking, BB's bad jokes, your moodiness, and my adoration with my car, then we can be perfectly fine with you and the grass stain starting a family."

Neither Raven nor Garfield really knew what to say, so they just nodded again. Robin stood up and went to the coffee machine. Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

 _I'm gonna be a dad._ Garfield thought, gnawing his lip.

 _I'm going to be a mother…_ Raven thought, her apprehension unhidden on her face.

 _I must help my friends as much as I can!_ Starfire thought worriedly.

 _Let's see, if I take the large storage room on the sixth floor and bust out a door in the eastern wall…_ Cyborg contemplated, mentally designing and redesigning the room several times over.

"Raven, what about this bond between you and Beast Boy?" Robin said suddenly.

Raven hesitated and then frowned. "I have no idea, actually."

"Now you _have_ to go to Nevermore." Gar nudged her head.

"Actually, I have a better idea. I'll just need a couple of days rest to do it."

Gar looked at his indigo haired lover. "What's that Rae?"

"I'm going to bring Nevermore here so that we can _all_ get answers together." She said resolutely. "This affects all of the team, so they deserve to know too."

"We're back!"

Titans Central all turned and looked towards the door. Bumblebee, Aqualad, Speedy, Más y Menos, and See-More all walked in and joined their friends.

"How was patrol?" Robin sipped his coffee and looked at Bumblebee.

"Pretty good. We stomped the Hive Five into the dirt." She said with a grin. "They totally weren't prepared for us, especially since See-More told us all their weaknesses and whatnot."

"Don't you feel bad for turning on them like that?" Cyborg looked to the cyclops, who only shrugged.

"I probably would have if I wasn't their punching bag for a few months."

"Fair enough."

Robin stepped forward and shook hands with See-More before handing him a communicator with his uniform symbol on the back of it. "Good work See-More. Welcome to the team, we're glad to have you."

The one eyed teen smiled hugely, his visor lighting up in a smiling face as well, as he turned the communicator over in his hands. "Thanks Robin…this feels good, to be a part of something again."

"Hey Robin, where do you even get those communicators?" Beast Boy spoke up, drawing several looks.

"From my pouches, of course."

"Dude, I've s _een_ all the crap you keep in those. There's no room for a communicator!"

Robin just smiled. Bumblebee was looking around.

"You guys finally got all that demon blood up? What finally did it?" She asked.

"Zorka berries!" Starfire pipped up with a huge smile. Karen stared at her for a moment before turning away with laughter.

"Alright Robin, we're heading home. See-More, take care. Raven…" She hesitated.

Said sorceress walked up to the Titans East leader and looked up at her. "You were right, Karen."

The insectile heroine flinched then put her hand on the smaller girl before reaching into her pocket.

"I was hoping I was wrong to pick this up, but go ahead and use it." She said as she put a small package into Raven's hand. Raven turned it over in her hand.

"What is this?"

"I picked it up at a clinic. It's a pill that'll…well…get rid of it." Bumblebee said very softly.

Raven didn't hesitate to shove it back into the older girls' hand. "I don't want it."

Karen eyes almost tripled in size. "Raven! You're what, sixteen? Almost seventeen? You can't be having a kid yet!"

Raven stared at her silently, her face set in stone. The older girl couldn't handle the look, so she turned to Robin. "How can you approve of this?!"

"I never said I was happy about it, Bumblebee. But I won't force my friends, my family, to make that decision. Granted, in a few months she'll be unfit to go on missions with us and even after she has the kid she'll be unfit to go on missions with us too. So I was thinking…"

"DUDE! YOU CAN'T BE THINKING ABOUT KICKING HER OFF THE TEAM! IF SHE GOES I GO!" Garfield shouted, his anger barely contained.

"No! Boyfriend Robin, you cannot do this!"

"Hey man, that's my sis, you ain't kickin' her out!"

Raven looked at Robin in horror. "You're going to kick me off the team? Dick, I _literally_ have nowhere else to go!"

Robin stood there with a silent frown on his face as he waited for everyone to quit berating him. Beast Boy finally had enough and stomped up to his team leader and grabbed him by the shirt.

"Say something damnit!" The changeling roared.

"I will when everyone is done jumping to conclusions." The caped crusader said emotionlessly. The others hesitated and he took that time to start speaking.

"I never said I was taking Raven off the team. I was thinking that since she'll be in the tower most of the time anyways that she'll run Ops for everyone while we're out. We can transfer or recruit more people to make up for losing her on the battlefield. She'll still be able to heal us, she'll still be able to open portals if we need them, and she'll be available to defend the tower if it's under attack. I even have a list of candidates ready to go over."

Garfield immediately let go of the spikey haired teen, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry, Rob, you just scared the hell outta me."

Robin took his friend by the shoulder and looked into his eye. "Beast Boy, we might not see eye to eye on a lot of things, but we're a team, a family. If I have to keep saying that until I'm blue in the face so that you guys understand, I will."

Beast Boy looked down, shamefaced. "Sorry."

"It's alright." Robin nodded his head, the looked to Raven. "You two need to get some rest. When you feel ready for this Nevermore stuff, tell me. We'll do it here where it's safe."

Raven nodded and grabbed Gar's hand. Together, they walked out in silence.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: WARNING, LEMONY STUFF AHEAD.  
**

 **For those that don't understand what that means, let me explain. When you take a hormonal teenage boy and a hormonal teenage girl and stick them in a room together...physical stuff happens. That's how babies are made.**

* * *

Raven rolled over, looking at the alarm clock. 3:37 AM

She sighed, thinking how the past three days had dragged by. She had been nauseated several times and tired more than she was accustomed to, but restless and unable to sleep at the same time. It, as Garfield would put it, "Totally sucked". Rolling back over, she peered at her lover. He was snoring lightly, lying on his back, her head on the pillow over his arm. His other hand was resting on his stomach and she intertwined her fingers in his. Still sleeping, he gave her that big and silly boyish grin. That smile was something she had come to covet dearly when it was directed at her.

 _Hard to believe this is happening._ She mused. _A couple of years ago I hated him…and now we're going to have a family._

The young mother-to-be wrapped her arm up under him lay her head on his chest. After a moment, she released his hand and started running her fingers up and down his stomach and abdomen. She was lost in thought as she counted the scars on his body.

 _This one is from when he and Adonis got in that fight and shifted to the Beast…this one is where Terra pierced him with a stone…this one is from fighting Slade…this old burn mark is from fighting Trigon's demons…this old burn is from Lightning before he joined us with Thunder…_

Raven was unaware of it at first, but she had started running her fingers down his abs, feeling the tight muscles move as he breathed. She started rubbing her hand up and down them, now actively thinking about her lover's physique.

 _He might be the laziest of the Titans but he certainly does give it his all. He's in better shape than I thought. It feels nice to wrapped in arms that are stronger than they look._

Her fingers found their way to his belly button, causing him to twitch. Raven glanced up, but he was still sleeping. She smiled as she traced around his navel, watching him twitch a little bit. Knowing that he was at least a little ticklish was good news. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed his scent in. He smelled like an old forest, one teeming with life and mysteries. It was very relaxing but also made her ache. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared at the hem of his pajama bottoms. It almost seemed to call to her, telling her that unveiling his body underneath would be a good thing.

The teen girl bit her lip as she reached out and rubbed beneath his belly button but above the pants line. Slowly, she began to rub a bit lower and lower. Gar shivered at her soft touch and his body reacted accordingly. Within moments his pants began to bulge, causing her to pull her hand away. Raven glanced up at her verdant lover again. Still asleep.

Not realizing what she was doing, Raven shifted her legs, bringing one up and over his leg to wrap around him. She squeezed his leg gently between hers and pressed her body against his. Something sent a shiver down her spine and she knew that she wanted more.

The young girl was trembling now as she rubbed against him gently, trying to not wake him. Her breath was getting heavier as her body demanded more attention. She returned her gaze to his bottom half. Reaching out, she touched his bulge with a single pale finger, causing it to throb.

The ache in her body grew.

Still not realizing what she was doing, Raven reached out and gently wrapped her fingers around him. His whole body shuddered and he gasped, but didn't wake up. There was only a thin layer of fabric between his manhood and her hand now, letting her feel _everything_. _The veins, the heat, the size, the throbbing._ The sensation made her rub against him more as she massaged him. She had no idea what she was doing but _by Azar did it feel good!_

Within minutes Raven was finding harder to focus as yet _another_ sensation started to overwhelm her. This one she fought and fought, trying to stave it off. It was a vain struggle.

A powerful feeling of euphoria ripped throughout her body, stemming from her nether regions, causing her toes to curl as she bit her lip to stop from crying out. Her entire body stiffened until the feeling passed, leaving her breathless.

 _By Azar, what was that?! That was amazing!_

The young sorceress looked down to the hand that was wrapped around her lover's fifth member. There was a large wet stain at the top of the bulge and an odd scent was in the air. She inhaled it in and shivered.

 _MORE_ , something within her demanded.

She wasted little time in climbing on top of the sleeping changelings groin and getting comfortable leaning over him. She hesitated only once before rubbing herself against his bugle. The sensation, only dulled by a couple of layers of thin cloth, made her whimper and bolt upright, determined to have him there and now, sleep be damned.

Unfortunately, Raven had forgotten that this was a bunkbed.

With a loud crack, she hit the bottom of the top bunk. The blow sent her reeling off of her unsuspecting lover and down next to him, where she usually slept. She wept, clenching her now throbbing head in her hands, all lustful thoughts having flown from her mind completely.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She chanted after a few minutes, pressing a glowing hand to her aching skull. Within seconds, the pain faded. Her mood ruined, Raven simply curled up against her lover and drifted off to sleep after a time.

* * *

 **Lemony stuff over! If you skipped this part, it is safe to continue reading!**

* * *

In the depths of Raven's mind, several emoticlones howled with frustration.

 _We were this close!_ The red one snarled.

 _So close to being one with him again!_ The green one shouted.

 _But what if he hated us for waking him up?_ The gray one whimpered.

 _Don't be stupid, he adores us!_ The orange one berated the gray one.

 _It will come again, in time._ The yellow one said calmingly.

The purple one said nothing. She never did. But she was patient.

 _Very_ patient.

She would get what she wanted, in one way or another.

* * *

Cyborg was halfway through his third bowl of cereal that morning when Raven and Beast Boy walked in. He looked up and saw the determined look on Raven's face.

"Hey Rob, I think it's time." He said to the spikey haired teen next to him. Robin looked up from his coffee and toast.

"Ready Raven?" He called out. Raven nodded and approached them. Cyborg guzzled down the rest of his cereal just as the couple got there.

"Cyborg, before we get this started, I want to clarify something for the new room." Raven stopped in front of him. He raised an eyebrow, to which she simply stared at him. " _No bunkbeds_."

"Huh?" Gar looked at her confusedly. "What's wrong with bunkbeds? They're cool!"

" _No bunkbeds."_

Cyborg pondered this for a moment. "But Raven, neither of you is tall enough to hit the top of the bottom bunk when sitting up. You'd have to be up another four or five, heck maybe even six inches, to hit the top of the bunk."

Raven glared death at the robotic man and ground her teeth. _"NO. BUNKBEDS."_

Understanding dawned on Cy's face as confusion continued to echo across Gar's. The mechanical man struggled not to smile. "Okay, Raven. One king sized bed it is."

She nodded and drug her boyfriend to the living room area, where there was the most room. The other Titans joined them and she gestured for them to take the chairs along the glass wall, so that they could view the couch and entire room.

Raven inhaled and exhaled deeply several times, using the breathing exercise to calm herself. She pulled out the enchanted mirror she kept in her/Gar's room and set it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Sohtniz Noirtem Htaraza!" She chanted. A tendril of magic spiraled from her chakra stone then surged towards the mirror. Upon contact, there was a flash of light and multiple colored shapes sprung from the mirror, each landing on the couch. Robin and Starfire gasped upon seeing multiple versions of Raven, each in a different colored cloak. They saw yellow, purple, pink, gray, orange, green, and red.

"Knowledge, Affection, Happy, Timid, Rude, Brave, Rage." Raven eyed each of them in turn. "Welcome to the real world."

Affection and Happy didn't hesitate to spring off the couch and tackle Garfield. Knowledge nodded in appreciation, Timid pulled her hood up, and Rude snorted and rolled her eyes. Brave hopped off the couch and ran up to Cyborg.

"Long time no see Tinman!" She bumped fists with him.

"No kidding, Brave."

Rage, however, sat silently on the couch, her hood up and glaring at Raven. Raven glared back at her usually violent counterpart, unnerved.

"Alright, knock it off you two." She called out. Happy and Affection had to be drug away from Garfield by Brave, who unceremoniously threw them on the couch.

"Sorry they're acting up; whenever Gar is involved these two go crazy." Timid cowered behind her cloak as she apologized to Robin and Starfire, who were too confused to really grasp what was going on.

"Let's get straight to the point." Raven started, glaring at several of the emoticlones. "What the hell is going on with me?"

"You are pregnant." Knowledge spoke first.

"Preeeggoooo!" Happy squealed in delight.

The purple one said nothing but smiled, her gaze glued to Garfield.

Timid trembled. "We messed up, we're sorry Garfield."

"We're gonna get fat!" Rude snorted.

"We're gonna have a kid and teach'em how to kick some ass!" Brave fist pumped.

"We are pregnant." Rage said quietly. The other emoticlones eyed her warily, but she ignored them.

"How am I pregnant?" Raven swept her gaze across the clones.

"Well, when a horny guy and a horny girl go into a room together-" Rude started, but has shoved by Brave.

"We pulled him in cause we were scared he might not come back to us!" Timid mumbled.

"Quit being stupid! Of course he would! He freaking adores us! I mean come on, this morning he was getting huge wh-" Rude started again, but found her mouth clamped shut by a band of black magic. Raven had turned crimson.

"T-that's enough out of you." She stuttered.

"What's she talking about, Rae?" Gar eyeballed his girlfriend suspiciously.

"Nothing, Garfield."

His gaze slid back to Rude, who pointed at him, then her crotch, then set her hand in her lap. After a moment, she started rising it up. Garfield's eyes widened just before another band of magic wrapped around her and pinned her arms to her side. Gar's head slowly turned back to an even more red faced Raven. She refused to look at him.

"Knowledge?" She stared hard at the yellow emoticlone, who shifted her glasses.

"While technically Rude isn't wrong…" She hesitated when she saw Raven's look turn into a violent glare. "It's more complicated than that."

"Right, the bond. What is it?"

Knowledge shifted uncomfortably, setting off an alarm in Raven's head.

"What's going on, Knowledge? You're acting a bit timid and that most certainly not your aspect." Raven demanded.

"The bond was much stronger than anticipated." This came from Rage. Raven turned to her, eyebrow raised.

"Are _you_ going to be the one to tell me about it then, Pride?"

Rage sneered at her as her demonic eyes opened and her cloak deepened to a darker shade of red, like dried blood. It was almost black, truth be told.

" **Don't point fingers at me. 'Twas not I who initiated the initial or secondary bond, let alone provoked the others to act. All I did was bind us to Garfield on a physical scale."**

Raven's gaze swept through the emoticlones, all of which avoided her gaze. She turned back to Pride.

"Tell me more."

Pride smiled darkly. **"We were bound to Garfield through an ancient Azarathian spiritual binding ritual."**

"When? I recall no such ritual." Raven crossed her arms.

"The dance!" Happy shouted suddenly, causing several people to jump in their seat. Raven shot a confused look at Knowledge, who got up and walked to the nearby computer terminal. After a moment, she brought up the video of the party before turning to Cyborg.

"I'll need you to edit the other people out of the footage for this to be explained properly."

Cyborg hopped up and walked over next to her. After several minutes, the people on the screen started to disappear, leaving just Raven and Garfield. He started the video and surely enough, it was an Azarathian dance.

"I don't understand. Why did this happen? Why didn't you all just talk to me?" Raven shook her head, then noted as Pride waved her hand. The band of magic on Rude's mouth disappeared.

"'Cause you wouldn't have listened to us before, we're kind of a stuck up bitch most of the time." Rude spat.

Raven winced and placed another band on Rude's mouth. The orange emoticlone glared daggers at her.

"I'll admit that I wasn't the most attentive to my emotions." Raven nodded after a moment of thought. "But why such a drastic measure?"

"She was fading!" Timid practically shouted as she pointed at Affection. "I was scared we were gonna lose her!"

Raven looked at Timid in surprise. It was very _brave_ of her to say that, after all. She then turned to Knowledge. "How was I going to lose Affection? I don't recall disliking any of my friends."

"That is not Affection." The yellow emoticlone said slowly.

Raven turned to the purple emoticlone and eyed her thoughtfully. After a minute she asked, "Who are you then?"

The emoticlone only smiled and pointed at her throat, then made a slicing motion.

" **She doesn't have a voice because you've never given her one."**

Raven's head jerked to Pride, who glared at her, then to Knowledge, who nodded. Raven turned back to the lavender emotion, her brow furrowed. "Show me who you are then."

The clone smiled and got up. Without hesitating she crawled into Garfield's lap and kissed him. Her boyfriend's eyes darted back and forth between the girl in his lap and the girl at his side.

"Oh."

It was all Raven could say.

" **That's right. Now do us a favor and give her a voice so this will go a lot smoother."** Pride growled.

"How do I do that?"

" **You only have to say three little words."**

"But haven't I…"

" **NO, YOU HAVEN'T!"** Pride snarled, her eyes blazing. **"YOUR BEATING AROUND THE BUSH CAUSED ALL OF THIS AND NOW YOU NEED TO OWN UP."**

Raven froze, and then felt her hand become encircled in Garfield's warm hand. She looked to him.

"Ladies fist, Rae." He said, smiling.

"That smile!" Happy sighed.

Raven inhaled and exhaled a few times, trying to calm her madly beating heart. After a moment, she cleared her throat and spoke very softly. "Garfield…I love you."

The effect was instantaneous. The purple emoticlone glowed her color brightly and all the other emoticlones, Pride included, let out one collective sigh along with a single small spasm.

"Hello Garfield, my name is Love." The clone smiled warmly at the changeling. Her voice was just as warm as her smile and it was making Gar melt in place.

"Hello Raven." He returned her smile. "I love you too."

Happy squealed, Brave backflipped over the couch from her sitting position (Robin really wanted to know how she did that), Rude waved her bound hands in mock joy, Knowledge simply smiled. Pride smiled too, in a soft way that made Raven nervous.

"Okay, now get back to the story." Raven cleared her throat.

"It's simple, Raven." Love said from her seat on Beast Boy's lap. "We were in love with Beast Boy, but you failed to recognize me. Timid spurred the others to give me enough strength to make a move. They did and I chose to engage in this ritual to bind him to us. Which he did mind, body, and soul. I wasn't expecting him to embrace us so fully and it made our bond stronger."

Raven looked at Timid, who shrank away from her. "I-I-I just didn't want to be alone anymore."

"Alone?" Raven said softly. "But I was always alone."

" **Yes, but we secretly hated it."**

Raven looked up in surprise at Pride, who was staring at the floor.

" **That insufferable silence, the dark void, the unfeeling eternity, the lack of anything and everything worth living for…we hated it so very much."** Pride said softly.

Raven looked at the rest of the clones, who all nodded. Her shoulders sagged. "So you forged this bond?"

"That is right." Love turned and looked at her. "I bound our souls together."

"I bound our minds together." Knowledge said quietly.

" **And I bound our bodies afterwards."**

Raven's head jerked to Knowledge and then Pride. "How? I was told all my life that I was sterile."

Knowledge cast a glance at the smiling Pride.

" **I made Knowledge give me all of what we knew about our physiology and Garfield's physiology. I applied it to the copious amount of DNA our dear changeling provided us with."**

"See, I don't get that. I'm supposed to be sterile too." Garfield spoke up, moving his head around Love to look at Pride.

" **Oh, you are technically sterile. But your genetic instability is what made it even easier to manipulate your genetic code around, not to that mention your** _ **willingness**_ **in embracing us reinforced the bond, and thus our magic."**

"What are you saying, Pride?" Raven demanded.

" **I'm saying that I forcibly evolved the DNA in his semen over and over again until it was able to bond with ours."** Pride smiled again, albeit wickedly. **"After all, he gave us plenty to work with."**

"Define plenty."

" **Don't you remember, Raven? He climaxed thirteen times within our body. It was amazing."** The demonic entity purred in delight as several sets of eyes turned towards the green shapeshifter.

Cyborg shook his head and buried it in his hands. "Boy, what kind of animal are you?"

" **The** _ **very**_ **good kind."**

"When did you find the time to do this?" Raven asked shakily, glancing at her stone faced lover.

" **While it was happening, of course. And while we slept."**

"I don't understand. What gave you all the power to be more influential on my actions?"

"The drink." Knowledge spoke up. "That was no ordinary alcohol. And no, I have no idea what it actually was."

Raven rubbed her temple, then turned back to Pride. "Why did you bind our bodies in such a way? It was one thing to…sleep with Garfield, but to make me pregnant?"

" **I had nothing to do with** _ **sleeping**_ **with him. But I bound him for my own reasons."** Pride looked away.

"Do I have to bind you in the darkest corner of my mind again and never let you out to get the answer out of you?" Raven got up and advanced towards her demonic self.

Fear filled the demon's four eyes. **"NO!"**

Raven stopped. This most certainly was not the reaction she had been expecting.

"Knowledge." She said slowly, "Are you all affecting each other stronger now?"

"Yes Raven, we are."

"Pride, what has you so scared?"

" **I have no idea what you're talking about."**

"I know what she's scared of losing!" Happy bounced out of her seat and ran towards Garfield. "Watch this!"

She pushed Love to the side and placed her hand on Garfield's head. What happened next almost knocked Raven and the others over with pure shock as Happy pulled her hand away from the changeling's head, several green forms burst harmlessly from his eyes. Garfield fell back with a yelp. He gasped at the sight in front of him as he sat back up.

Before the Titans very eyes were _copies of Garfield!_ The only difference in them and their host was the purple stripe on his uniform was a different color, as were the eyes of each one.

A yellow eyed Beast Boy turned to Knowledge. "Greetings, my radiant enchantress."

A pink eyed Beast Boy met Happy midair in a pounce. "Hey babe!"

An orange eyed Beast Boy tore the magic band from Rude's lips and eyeballed her. "Bondage eh? Didn't know you were a closet freak."

The gray eyed Beast Boy actually stumbled and fell into Timid's lap. They both froze in fear.

The green uniformed Beast Boy was perhaps the most different of them all. He was taller than the others and taller than Raven as well. He had more muscles on his frame and his boyish good looks had changed to something more handsome and mature. He leapt over the sofa and approached Brave with a wink. "Hey sexy."

Brave blushed a little and punched him in the shoulder. He didn't flinch the slightest.

The purple eyed Beast Boy wrapped his arms around Love and pulled her away from Garfield. She willingly went with him, a massive smile on her face.

The room was dead silent for several minutes before Raven spoke in a hushed whisper. "What the hell is going on here? Separating emotions into separate entities is an Azarathian thing."

"They just told you we were bonded mind, body, and soul, Raven." The yellow eyed Garfield smiled. "So of course we manifested within his mind. It's because of you that we exist in a more solid and refined mannerism. I'm Brains, by the way.

"Joy!" Happy shouted, pointing at the pink eyed Gar.

"Rude, just like her." The orange Gar jerked his thumb at the still bound Rude Raven emoticlone.

"Love." Came a response from the purple Beast Boy as he rubbed noses with Raven's counterpart.

"Fear." The gray eyed changeling trembled as he looked up at Timid.

The green uniformed changeling crossed his arms and took his place next to Brave. "Courage."

"Why do you look different?" Garfield shook his head. "You look so cool."

"I'm what we would look like if we ate meat. Also, tofu stunts our growth because the carnivorous side of us rejects it, so if we gave that up we'd look a bit more like this." Courage said as he wrapped an arm around Brave and pulled her close. She blushed but grinned at him challengingly. He laughed, then looked back at his host. "But you should be more concerned about _him._ "

Garfield and Raven turned to look at the last of the changeling's emoticlones and froze with fear. Before them stood the Beast. He stood facing Pride, staring down at her.

Pride stared back for a long moment before smiling and opening her arms. **"My love."**

Immediately the Beast ducked down for her arms to wrap around his head. He started purring and rubbing his head against her.

"Pride…what…" Raven choked out as she watched the Beast circle around her demon counterpart and settle on the floor. The demoness sat back onto his massive arm and wrapped her arms around his neck and head, hugging him close.

"Dude…seriously…what?" Gar whispered, staring at his feral side in horror.

" **Don't you understand, Raven? We're not alone anymore."** Pride opened her eyes and looked at her host. Raven gasped when she saw that of Pride's eyes shone with a slightly purple tint. The demoness smiled again. **"He is mine and I, his. No more silence, a brighter void, a meaningful eternity…something to live for."**

"You fell in love with the Beast?" Raven and Garfield both asked in awe.

" **Yes. He accepted me completely and unwaveringly. His loyalty knows no bounds, he knows no fear, his strength is for my protection, and so many other things."** Pride buried her face in his fur. **"He does not fear us as a demon, half-blood or not. He only sees one thing: His mate."**

Raven looked around to the collected emoticlones, the pieces clicking together. It was Cyborg who spoke up, disrupting her thoughts.

"Let me get this straight." He said, drawing everyone's attention. "This crazy-ass bond ya'll got is why Raven has mellowed out and Garfield got more thoughtful and mature? Because ya'll are _literally_ rubbing off on each other on a mental and spiritual scale?"

"Pretty much, dude." Brains gave his buddy a thumbs up.

"And what about the sparring session with Aqualad?" Robin asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"That was me and Courage." Brains fist bumped Courage.

"His use of metabolic and carbohydrates in a sentence?" This came from Raven.

"Totally me and Courage again!" Brains chuckled. "We actually like learning new stuff, it's just catching our attention that's the hard part."

"How about when Sojo made that comment?"

Gar's emoticlones flinched, except for the Beast, who growled low and dangerously.

"He's scary." Fear said, hiding under Timid's cloak.

"So whose idea was it to recruit me?" See-More spoke up. The rest of the Titans, emoticlones included, jumped. They had all forgotten he was there. His eye visor lit up in a questionmark.

"Sorry dude, gotta get used to having another Titan around." Gar chuckled weakly. Seymour smiled and a laughing emoji lit up the visor.

" **Actually, that idea was mine. I merely pushed it onto Knowledge who passed it to Brains."** Pride raised her head and looked at Raven.

"Really?" Raven raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

" **More bodies around means more protection for us and the baby."** Pride shrugged. **"Besides, Beast and I don't find him threatening at all, so we don't mind having another added to our pack."**

" _Your_ pack?" Robin masked twitched, his equivalent of raising an eyebrow.

" **Yes,** _ **our**_ **pack."** The demoness growled, as did the verdant behemoth she was seated on. Robin snorted and looked away.

"Speaking of the baby, why couldn't I sense it?" Raven asked, quickly changing the subject.

" **Because I was using my power to shield it from prying eyes."**

Garfield rubbed his chin in thought. "Isn't it your demon half influencing your powers that always makes stuff go kablooey when you feel a strong emotion?"

" **Eloquently put, but yes. I am the cause of that."** Pride rolled her eyes. **"So yes, as long as I am shielding the baby, Raven is free to feel whatever she wants whenever she wants without some kind of magical repercussion."**

"That's…very generous of you, Pride." Raven said cautiously.

" **Don't get attached to the idea, things will be back to normal after the baby is born."**

"She's bluffing." Brave smirked.

" **Be quiet, you boisterous buffoon."**

"Let's see you make me!"

" **More like break you."**

"Enough!" Raven shouted. Pride glared at her counterpart, but spoke no more. The young sorceress grabbed her head, suddenly feeling very tired.

"We should end this so you can rest for a bit." Knowledge approached Raven and put her hand on her host's shoulder. "We can answer any other questions later."

Raven nodded and began dismissing the emoticlones. One by one, they faded into tendrils of colored magic and flowed back to the mirror. Gar's emotions followed as well.

After a few moments, only Pride and Love remained.

" **You cannot hide from me."** Pride murmured to her purple sister. **"I know both sides of you and you had best reveal yourself to Raven."**

Love simply smiled as Pride faded into the mirror.

"What did she mean by that?" Raven asked, raising her eyebrow at Love.

Love sighed and wrapped her host in a hug to murmur in Raven's ear. "I suppose since you heard it that I have no choice in telling you. Knowledge and Pride forgot to mention this, but I'm not just your love."

Raven stiffened, suddenly unsure if wanted to hear the rest of this.

"I am your _Lust_."

Nope, didn't want to hear that.

"T-those are two d-different things." Raven stammered, her face heating up as the emoticlone provoked her aspects.

" _For us they aren't._ " Love/Lust purred silkily as she pulled away from her host, her eyes and cloak having shifted to a magenta color. The emoticlone moved away from a stuttering Raven and embraced Garfield.

" _We'll be seeing you real soon, my love._ "

"What are you talking about, Rae?" Gar raised his eyebrow. "I want to see you every day of my life."

The purple/magenta emoticlone shot a sly smile at Raven. _"See? We even have his permission!"_

Before Raven could argue, the dual emotion faded and disappeared into the mirror.

"Uh…Rae? What permission did I give?" Her boyfriend asked cautiously.

Raven couldn't look at him.


	10. Author's Notice

It is with a heavy heart that I must make this announcement.

For the time being, Accidents Can Happen will be on temporary hiatus.

Now, before anyone gets upset, I have a very valid reason. Three days after I posted the previous chapter, I was involved in a workplace accident where a 16 ounce hammer fell from a third story building, bounced off the second story porch roof, and struck me in the head.

The good news is that I'm quite alright, seeing as Grandfather Nurgle blessed me a long time ago with inhuman resilience.

The bad news is that the doctor tried to send me to the psyche ward when I told him that. (Thankfully a passing nurse understood my joke and declared "Death to the heretics!")

More good news is that said offensive hammer broke at the handle upon impacting my skull.

More bad news is that it was _my_ fucking hammer, which I had lent to my coworker.

The good news is that I had chapter 10 completely finished and was almost finished with chapter 11!

The bad news is that I had it all stored away mentally and said injury erased every detail in my mind.

EVERY. FUCKING. DETAIL.

GONE.

Upon realizing this, I _might_ have flipped my shit a little bit. They don't call me Foamsatmouth for no reason, afterall.

Fortunately, there is a silver lining to every cloud. I found a single sticky note on my laptop of the chapter 10 and 11 titles.

Chapter 10 was labeled "Mom and Dad".

Now, my dear readers, I have something to work with, albeit from scratch.

More bad news though. Work is fixing to pile up even moreso on me, but it won't stop me from writing. If I must, I will write out multiple chapters and post them in a single sitting. I don't like leaving my story unfinished.

I'll also be working on a few one shots I had ideas for, each inspired by a different song.

For the finale of this little talk we're having, I'll address a few things for my reviewers.

Viper5delta- Yeah, things are getting a bit crazy. But truth be told I'm _really_ good at making crazy things work.

Santoramon- The answer is as obvious as the question. It was cliché in every sense. I _really_ wanted to do it, it would have been cute as fuck, but it felt like it would have been predictable to me. And yes, I know that was barely lemon, I was testing new waters. I don't have a problem whatsoever writing lemon, but I was being cautious about the supposed rules of "no M content". Though that was dashed after reading some rather sexual BBRae stories I stumbled upon. And no, this isn't the last you've seen of Beast and Pride.

RPGPersona- To answer your question, it was the former. She's gotta be with the baby, afterall. Also, I hope you liked the Emoticlone scene, you mentioned in an earlier comment that you wanted to see them in the story. To answer your other question, Raven's count was 42. As for the last question…well, we'll find out, now won't we?

Fawhead- Thank you! :D

Break Blade- You actually gave me the idea to hunt down an artist on DeviantArt and see if I could commission some work from her. That pic idea is a damn fine one so I might just do it. As for your question, the dance was very much mentioned in the first chapter, but in a rather subtle and offhand way, easy to forget. I'm _really_ good at hiding important details like that in the open, so let's see if you can find it and other subtle hints I've dropped in the story! :P

Bluedog197- Thank you, your comments always make me smile and laugh.

For now, dear readers, I must bid you adieu. I must work on picking up where I left off or it'll drive me insane to leave you guys and gals hanging.

Afterall…

 _Accidents can happen._


	11. One Little Revelation

_**I'M BAAACCKKK**_

 _ **First off, I'd like to thank everyone for their kind words about my injury and recovery and enthusiasm for my story. You guys and gals make it all the worth the while. Seriously, ya'll give me some mad motivation to get back to writing.**_

 _ **Second off, I'd like to point out to my 'guest' reviewer that I'm not obligated to express my concerns over the not mentioned additional memory loss or irregular sleep schedule forced upon me via injury. You guys are here for my story and I give info regarding that.**_

 _ **Lastly, I'd like to say that this chapter has a bit of fluffy lemon in it. Nothing too detailed, really, but it's still there. Following chapters are gonna get spicy though! :D**_

 _ **So long, space cowboy B)**_

* * *

 _ **WARNING: LEMON AHEAD**_

* * *

Raven opened her eyes and looked at the clock. 5:13 AM. She sighed when she realized she had only slept for three hours this time. Her mind was still in turmoil after the meeting with her emoticlones the day before. It had almost been too much information for her to process.

But that was yesterday and tomorrow was another day. Well…today is another day. She sighed again and rolled over to look at her sleeping boyfriend and father of her child.

 _Father of my child._ She thought, amused.

That ridiculous thought brought a small smile to her face. _Never would have seen this coming a few years ago. But then again, I wasn't supposed to live past sixteen and the world was supposed to have ended._

Those morbid thoughts sobered her mood almost instantly, despite gazing at the love of her young life. He was sleeping on his back again, one arm under her. Felix was sleeping snuggled between his head and shoulder. The longer she watched them, the less of a hold those dreary thoughts had on her.

Suddenly Felix yawned real big and got up. Stretching, he looked around for a moment before he washed his face. Following that, he crawled his way across the bed and hopped off. After a moment the sound could be heard in the room as he used the litterbox. Raven smiled when she remembered that Gar had literally explained and showed the kitten how to use the litter box. It had been downright disturbing and hilarious at the same time.

A very soft whumpf let Raven know that Felix had decided to sleep in his bed instead of climbing back up with them. She smiled again, knowing that she had Garfield all to herself now. She nuzzled up to him, her head taking the place where Felix had laid. She breathed in his scent, letting it lull her into a comfortable daze that bordered on a doze.

She was just starting to drift off when Garfield suddenly rolled on his side and grabbed her by the breast. Her eyes popped open as one of his lazily opened. He gave her a grin and a teasing squeeze, making her shiver.

Before she could open her mouth to say anything, he let her go and rolled away smiling. She opened and closed her mouth several times, not believing that he had the gall to tease her like that. The teenage sorceress rolled away from him, her back to his now, so that she could quietly pout.

A head popped over her shoulder and her violet eyes met emerald eyes.

"Are you pouting?" He teased. She snorted and he laughed at it. "Woooow, Raven is pouting! I gotta write this on the calendar!"

"Shush, you stupid elf." She grumbled.

He laughed again, causing her to sulk a little bit. "I was just about to go to sleep when you had to touch me like that."

"That almost sounds like you want more." He teased her again as he lightly brushed his lips down her neck.

Her skin jolted at his touch and she mumbled. "Maybe."

"Maybe _what_ , Rae?"

"Maybe…I want your attention now." She shuddered as he kept kissing up and down her neck, her body starting to heat up and ache.

"My attention?" Gar chuckled. "But Rae, you always have that."

"Maybe I want something… _more_." She glanced up at him, hoping he wasn't going to make her say it. His smile told her that this was a false hope and she sighed. "I…want you, Gar. I want you to touch me."

Instantly one arm slid under her then up her shirt to grab a breast and squeeze it gently. The other hand wrapped over her and slowly slid down the front of her pajama bottoms and touched something that she wasn't aware was so sensitive.

"What are you-!"She gasped as he caressed her top and bottom, her whole body shuddering at his touch. "What is that spot?!"

"Huh?" Gar asked, confused. "You mean you've never…you know…entertained yourself?"

"No! Emotions! Remember?!" Each of her words came out as a small gasp as one hand kneaded her breast, rolling the tip between his knuckles with just enough pressure to sting pleasurably, the other hand now stroking her more fully, soaking herself and his hand.

"Really now, huh?" The shapeshifter mused for a moment before he grinned evilly. Seconds later his teeth daintily danced across her ear, making her moan softly.

 _That sound_ , he thought, _is worth more than anything right now._

His teeth and hands ceased all activity for a moment, causing her to look up at him.

"Why did you stop?" She panted.

"'Cause I'm fixing to do something a bit bold."

"Bold?"

Knowing his actions would speak louder than his words, Gar slid the hand on her crotch down further and curled a finger up inside her. Her back arched away from him as she gasped in surprise at his intrusion.

His finger rubbed around, looking for something that has been compared to a buried treasure. Raven's body was writhing, unused to this new and exhilarating sensation, her mouth clamped shut as she tried to not moan out loud.

His finger brushed against something inside her, causing her whole body to spasm for a moment. She couldn't stop the sound from escaping her lips this time and it made Gar purr in her ear.

"Sounds like yer enjoying yerself, babe."

"Maybe!" She choked out as the finger inside her began to rub that spot again and his thumb on the outside began to rub the spot on the outside. " _I've got no idea what you're touching Gar but for the love of Azar please don't stop!"_

Garfield chuckled as each of his fingers pushed a little harder, rubbed a bit faster, and delved a bit deeper into the lavender goddess at his side. Her body shuddered hard after a minute of this sensual assault and her breath became ragged. He smiled at her, realizing what she had just experienced. "Funny how I've got to teach you about your own body, Rae."

All sounds and movement from Raven stopped at this moment. Her brow furrowed, she turned to her lover. "How do _you_ know how to touch a girl?"

"Uuuhhhh…."

"Garfield!"

"Okay okay, sheesh! I've watched a lot of dirty movies since hitting puberty!" The changeling smiled sheepishly and Raven glared at him.

"Have you watched any since we got together?" She growled as he froze, a clear indication that he had. "No more! Understand?"

Garfield stared at her for a moment. "Wow Rae, never pegged you for the jealous type."

She snorted and looked away for a few minutes. When she noticed that he hadn't started up again, she turned her gaze back up to him and spoke softly. "Can we keep going?"

"Sure thing babe." He leaned down and kissed her before his hands started exploring her body. "It really depends on what you want tonight."

His fingers caressed her lips. "We could have fun like this…"

He touched her down between her thighs once more. "Or perhaps here…

Finally, his hand slid around her leg and grasped her butt, giving it a squeeze. "Or if you're feeling adventurous…"

His girlfriend stiffened in his arms and stared at him, uncertainty written on her face.

"I'm guessing you don't remember that we…" Gar started to say but was cut off.

"Oh no, I rememberall right. I _remember_ that it hurt like hell."

The changeling winced. "Hey now, it was your idea in the first place!"

"I remember that too, Gar." Raven chewed her lip in thought. "We'll try that again another night. Right now…"

Garfield only had time to raise his eyebrow before Raven grabbed him by the head and pulled it down between her legs.

* * *

 _ **A/N: END LEMON**_

* * *

9:47 AM Titan Tower

The tower was trembling again and this time Cyborg could feel the foundation shaking as well. This was getting a bit out of hand, having gone on for hours. Robin stomped into the room, Starfire close behind.

"Okay Cyborg, you need to tell me what's going on. That's like, the dozenth time the tower has shook in the past couple of hours." He demanded.

"Actually, that one was the forty second time it's shaken." Cy didn't look up from the sandwich he was making.

"What? It's shaken that many times? Are we going through earthquakes and aftershocks or something?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Whaddaya mean by that? What's going on then?" Robin crossed his arms. Cyborg glanced at him.

"Rob…I want you to consider the people in this tower. Of the six of us, three have the strength to make it move. Two of them are in this room." He said slowly.

"You, Starfire, and Raven's magic, right? What's that got to do with anything?"

Cyborg looked at Starfire, who was pointedly focusing on the jar of mustard she was drinking from. He turned back to the Boy Blunder with a sigh. "Well Robin, there are six people in this tower, four of which are in relationships. Two of those people are in this room."

"So Beast Boy is doing something to make Raven shake the tower? What's he doing?" Robin was getting impatient now, tapping his foot.

This time Cy frowned and looked to Starfire more intently. "You can't possibly tell me he's this dense."

Starfire looked up from her 'drink' and gave him a plain look. "I believe the saying here on Earth is… _No Comment_?"

Before Cy could say something about that, the tower began to shake wildly without warning and it lasted for a full minute. By the time it, and its following smaller aftershocks, subsided the whole common room had been shaken out of place. Robin looked up from the floor, now angrier.

"I'm going to go stop this nonsense right now!" He hopped up, only to be grabbed by Cyborg, who whispered in his ear. Within moments, Robin's face was as red as he uniform.

"Oh." Was all he could say in a small voice.

" _Oh_ is definitely the right word. And the grand finale left off at forty three." The tin man chuckled as he retrieved his sandwich, which had miraculously survived.

* * *

The lovers lay in bed wrapped in each other's arms, completely exhausted but fully awake.

"Hey Gar." Raven murmured. "I really loved that, but is it going to be that intense every time?"

"I have no idea Rae." Her love laughed. "But it was awesome beyond belief."

"Yeah, it was." The young mother-to-be burrowed her head into his shoulder and sighed happily. "Never thought I'd be having a family of my own, with you of all people."

Garfield frowned. "What's that supposed to mean, I thought you liked me?"

Raven let out a small chuckle. "I love you, you stupid elf. I was just saying that this totally not how I expected my life to be turning out."

"I love you too, Rae." The changeling kissed her head, making her smile.

"You know we need to tell your parents, right?"

A look of utter dread filled his features. "Oh god, we have to tell Mento and Elastigirl."

"Is that bad?"

"You outta remember how Mento is, Rae. A militaristic hardass."

"There you go using big words again." Raven shook her head. "I wonder when I'll get used to that."

Gar winked. "Probably about the time I get used to waking up next to the most beautiful girl in the cosmos."

Raven blushed and her started beating madly again. _He's gotten a little too smooth_ , she thought as she said, "D-don't change the subject. We need to tell the Doom Patrol, they're your family too."

"I know Rae… I just don't know _how_ to tell them."

"Call them up and tell them you need to talk. Ask them to come to the tower and we'll sit down and talk to them." Raven raised an eyebrow at him as she lifted her head from his shoulder. "What's so hard about that?"

"N-nothing, I guess." Gar stuttered, feeling very uncertain of how this conversation was going to turn out.

* * *

Garfield Mark Logan, shapeshifter and adopted son of Steve and Rita Dayton of the Doom Patrol, was _really_ hoping his foster parents weren't at their HQ today. He had just sent the vid call and was nervously waiting for it to be picked up. This was not something he wanted to do, not at all. But Raven had been insistent for the past two days that he do it and he couldn't put it off any longer, seeing as Raven had threatened to start sleeping in her room again if he didn't.

She really knew how to motivate a guy.

He was pacing around the common room, the eyes of his friends and girlfriend plastered to him as he did so. After several minutes, a copper colored metal head appeared on the screen.

"Heya kiddo, what's up? It's gotta be mighty important if yer callin' us." Cliff, aka Robotman, let out a metallic laugh.

Gar flinched. "Uh…yeah…pretty important…Steve and Rita around?"

"Yeah kid, hold on." Cliff turned his head and roared across the room. "HEY MENTO, YA'LL GOT A CALL."

Robotman nodded at Garfield and left the screen. Within moments, Elastigirl and Mento appeared.

"Garfield?" Rita beamed. "You never call! How are you, is everything okay?"

"Yeah…well…kinda…no, not really." Gar scratched the back of his head, completely unsure of how he was gonna do this.

"Well, spit it out already Beast Boy, we don't have all day. The Justice League asked us to hunt down some assassin that's been targeting Leaguers." Mento's natural frown deepened. "He's already killed Green Arrow and Vixen in the past three weeks and we think we just got a lead on him. Whatever it is you want, say it so we can go back to work."

"Uh..well…you see…"

"Beast Boy! Spit it out already!"

Garfield wilted under Mento's stare, causing Elastigirl to turn on her husband and fuss at him. Within seconds, they were arguing over what was more important, helping Gar or chasing a killer. As the argument grew louder and louder, the changeling knew it was time to man up. He took a deep breath.

"Mom, Dad, I screwed up."

Both of the older heroes stopped immediately and turned to him, astonishment on their faces. He _never_ called them Mom and Dad unless he _really_ screwed up.

"On a scale of 'I really pissed my friends off' to 'I released the Brotherhood of Evil from their cryo-prison', how bad is it?" Mento said slowly.

"Uh…where does 'I got my girlfriend pregnant' fall on that scale?" The teen boy asked meekly.

"YOU WHAT?!" This came not from Mento, but from Elastigirl. Her angry face filled the camera feed. "GARFIELD MARK LOGAN, JUST WHAT EXACTLY HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THAT TOWER?!"

"It was an accident, I swear!"

"YOUNG MAN, DOING _THAT_ IS MOST CERTAINLY NOT AN ACCIDENT! YOU _KNEW_ WHAT YOU WERE DOING AND NOW _YOU'VE GOT A GIRL PREGNANT! YOU'RE ONLY FIFTEEN!"_

"Almost sixteen!" Gar protested.

" _THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER!"_

"Rita, calm do-" Mento started.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, STEVE, THAT'S MY LITTLE BOY DAMNIT!"

"I know it is dear, but-"

Rita glared death at Steve and he immediately shushed. Some things were just too dangerous to argue about when your wife could grow to the size of a skyscraper. Her glare turned back to Garfield, who visibly cringed.

"We'll be there tomorrow." She declared.

"But Rita-"

" _No buts, Steve._ " Rita growled. "Garfield, your girlfriend will need to be there too."

"Easy peasy, ma'." Gar gave her a small smile. She bid him goodbye and hung up the line.

Garfield sunk to his knees in dread as Raven ran up to him.

"What was that all about? She seemed so sweet and easy going when we met the first time." She asked, her hand on his shoulder.

"She's totally a closet momma bear." Gar shook his head. "That's the only person I've ever seen make Mento back down from something."

"It'll be fine, Gar." Raven hugged him. "It's not like we're telling Trigon, after all."

"That might be safer." The changeling muttered just under his breath.

* * *

11:37 AM the next morning, Titan Tower

Garfield had been pacing all morning. He was terrified, excited, agitated, and nervous all at the same time. Raven had been watching him for the past few hours, stopping him every once in a while to make sure he ate something or at least got something to drink. But he hadn't really stopped pacing.

"Gar…you really need to settle down." Raven said monotonously with just a trace of irritation in her voice.

"I can't." He shook his head. "This is worse than the time I took Cliff apart or when I locked Larry in the freezer or when I swapped Mento's aspirin with tic-tac's, or that time that I hid all of Rita's shapeshifting shoes."

Raven scrunched up her face. "Those sound like terrible pranks."

"They were awesome at the time, but that was a long time ago." He paused for a moment and looked at her. "That expression is really cute on you, ya know."

Her face heating up, Raven threw a pillow at him. "Shush you, this isn't the time to be flirting."

Gar dodged the pillow and chuckled. "Dude, I thought flirting with you was perfect for any time of day?"

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should!"

"But I _should_. I love you Rae and I'll spend the rest of my life telling you that." Garfield winked as Raven blushed harder.

"I'd tell ya'll to get a room, but ya'll might like it." Cyborg laughed from the kitchen, his head in the fridge as he tried to shove something blue and fuzzy to the side so he could reach a soda.

"Dude, that's so not-" Gar started to scold his friend, but was stopped by an curious look in Raven's eyes. He gave her an ' _I-don't-think-this-is-the-time-for-that'_ look and she pouted.

 _Later_ , he mouthed to her. His girlfriend nodded and picked up her book, though he could tell she was most certainly not thinking about anything on the pages. He could literally smell her desire for him and it was setting his blood on fire.

The tower doorbell rang and they all froze. Garfield looked to the door that led to the hallway that led to the elevator that led to the main lobby of the building and immediately wondered who's idea it was to build their base this damn big.

"I'll get it for ya, bro. Go sit down." Cyborg waved at him and walked off with his soda.

Garfield sat on the couch, both of his legs bouncing with dreadful anticipation. Raven sat next to him and wrapped her hand around his. "Gar, it'll be okay."

"I…I know Rae…but I'm still scared." He shook his head. "I could totally go without doing this, ya know?"

Raven kissed his cheek and his head. "I know, but it would nice to have an older woman to turn to when I need help. The only girls I know are all around my age and I don't like any Leaguers."

Garfield stared at her for a moment before he spoke softly. "I actually forgot you don't have someone to turn to for this. I'm sorry Rae, I'm an idiot for thinking of just myself."

"It's okay Gar, really."

He shook his head. "No, I'm just a scatterbrained idiot."

"Well…that's true." Raven smiled. "But you're _my_ scatterbrained idiot."

The changeling smiled warmly that Raven felt herself blushing again. He leaned in and kissed her passionately before he pulled away. "I could spend the rest of my life listening to you saying that."

"You probably will." She gave him a small wink before she left the couch. Making her way to the side, she sat with Starfire and Robin, who had been sitting quietly. Soon enough, Cyborg made his way in with the Doom Patrol in tow.

Mento was a tall man in a black and purple uniform (complete with a lightning bolt), a large purple helmet with a prong on each side of it, and silver combat boots with matching gloves. His piercing blue eyes surveyed the common room of the tower, noting all exit points and all hidden security devices.

Elastigirl was at his side, her auburn hair kept out of her eyes with a black hairband. Like her husband, she wore a black and purple uniform, though with a skirt instead of pants. She too wore sliver gloves and shoes, though they were closer to heels. Her eyes were locked on Garfield the moment she saw him.

Next came Robotman, his huge hulking and copper colored form barely fitting through the door. The tower vibrated a little with each of his steps, making his weight unquestionably apparent to the teens. He too looked around the room, but his gaze lingered on the huge television.

Lastly came Negativeman, similarly garbed to his still human comrades. But his head was swathed in bandages, a testament to some past tragedy in which he never spoke of. He was the least interested in the room, but still chose a comfortable looking chair to sit in.

Rita and Steven Dayton walked quietly towards the living room and sat across from their adopted son, who was fidgeting nervously and not looking at them. Silence reigned for several minutes, though Garfield could feel Raven's mounting irritation.

"So."

Gar jumped three feet straight up when Mento said this. Mento, unperturbed, continued.

"Beast Boy, you said that you got your girlfriend pregnant. I was not aware that you had a girlfriend, let alone was having premarital intercourse."

Garfield had been expecting this and tried to answer without stuttering too much. "W-well, you see, what happened was, um…we uh…"

"Speak clearly, Beast Boy."

"We uh, had a party for Valentine's Day and someone spiked the punch. It kinda made everyone, well, drunk. And ya see, me and this girl, well…we ended up making out and…ya know…" Gar couldn't look at them, especially not his mother.

"Were you two even a couple before this happened?" Rita said slowly, her eyes unreadable.

"No…" Came the expected whimper.

"That's borderline rape, Beast Boy." Mento's eyes narrowing in disappointed anger at the green teen before him.

"No! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT! _ESPECIALLY_ NOT TO HER!" Gar cried out angrily.

"You took advantage of a girl while she was intoxicated and now she's pregnant!" Mento shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you, boy?! We raised you better than that!"

"Let me explain, please!"

"WHAT IS THERE TO EXPLAIN, YOU-"

" _ **Enough of this."**_

The table between Garfield and his parents exploded, showering them with splinters. Gar sat still as a stone while Mento and Elastigirl stared at the table in shock. They turned to Raven who had stepped towards them, her eyes blazing with fury.

"How _**dare**_ you accuse your son of such a thing!" She spat before she sat next to her boyfriend and took his hand in hers. He gulped as his parents looks of astonishment turned into ones of incredulity.

"The demon girl?" Rita almost growled.

"Half-demon." Raven corrected her instantly.

"Still a demon in my book."

"How did this even happen?" Mento asked, glaring at them.

"It's complicated, but let's just say the alcohol made me realize that I wanted Garfield more than I ever knew."

"So you had a few drinks and slept with him?! That doesn't make you any better than a common wh-" Rita jumped up shouting but was stopped by a savage growl from her son.

" **Don't you** _ **dare**_ **finish that sentence, mother."**

Raven glanced at her boyfriend, then balked at his appearance. Within seconds he had shifted into the Beast and was standing protectively by her. All members of the Doom Patrol jumped up in shock, backing away from their former team mate.

Raven jumped out in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. "Garfield! Stop! Calm down!"

The Beast only growled and Raven could feel Pride surging within her own mind, demanding to be released to punish these intruders for insulting her mate and herself. Raven gasped as the surge became more powerful, dropping to a knee and clutching her head in pain.

The verdant behemoth noted this immediately and stopped growling. It wrapped his arms around her and began to shrink. Within moments, he had returned to being Beast boy.

"I'm sorry!" He hugged her tightly as Raven's breathing calmed down.

"It's alright, Gar. I was angry first and it affected you. I should have seen that coming." Raven shook her head and glanced at the Doom Patrol, who were recovering rather quickly from their shock.

"What the hell was that demon you turned my son into?" Rita hissed.

" _I_ am not a demon, Elastigirl. That beast is a part of _me._ " Garfield growled again.

"Ridiculous!" Said Mento, crossing his arms. "You never had that form when you were with us!"

"That was years ago, Mento. I've grown up since then."

Mento and Elastigirl both frowned but sat back down, their faces dark with thought as they telepathically communicated with each other. Robotman eyed Beast Boy warily as he and Negativeman resumed sitting as well.

"You know, kid, that was downright scary." He said, shaking his head. Gar just gave him a grim smile.

"You should see what else I can do now that Raven's opened my mind about my powers."

"Opened your mind? What do you mean?" Mento leaned forward, instantly curious about something he couldn't get Garfield to do years before.

"With her guidance, I'm learning to micromanage my powers and to use more than one at a time. A little while back I mixed reaction times of insects with the physical strength of a whale and took down Aqualad in a single move. It was pretty darn cool." The changeling smiled smugly. "Not to mention that she showed me some mythological creatures in her book and I can turn into them too, since I know the base animals they're made of."

"That's…" Mento trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"Amazing." Rita said softly as her stare on the half demon softened as well. "What can you turn into?"

"A phoenix and a chimera, so far. There's a couple more I wanna try before long though."

"A chimera, huh? That's pretty cool, Green Bean." Robotman nudged Negativeman, who nodded.

"Dude, I know right?"

"Gar, we're getting off topic here." Raven bumped shoulders with him, then glanced at Mento. "Besides, Mento's extremely curious about us."

"How did you know that, young lady?" Said purple-clad hero raised an eyebrow.

"You're not the only empath in the room." Raven murmured as she locked eyes with Rita. "I'm quite aware that you very much disapprove of me."

"You're a demon, of course I don't approve of you."

" _Half_ -demon." The young sorceress corrected her again. "And despite whatever protest you have against my bloodline, you should know that your disapproval means _nothing_ to me. Gar and I are bonded mind, body, and soul. I'm the one who said you four should be told because you're his family just as much as I or the other Titans are."

Before Elastigirl or Mento could start an argument, another voice spoke up. "Just leave them be."

Surprised heads turned to Larry, aka Negativeman. He looked pretty relaxed in his chair and gave them a shrug in response to their stares. "What's the point in getting mad about it? Mento is a psychic with borderline unstable powers, Rita changes sizes, Cliff is a brain in a robotic body, I'm pretty much a corpse with a detachable soul, Beast Boy is a green shapeshifter, Starfire is an alien, Cyborg is half-machine, and Robin was trained by the most anti-social megalomaniac on the planet. So what if Raven is a half demon? None of us are normal, so there's no point in getting mad about them being together."

Rita stuttered while Mento was silent. "B-but they're so young! They're not married and they aren't ready for a child!"

"You're right, Miss Rita." Raven's eyes were downcast and Mento flinched at the raw uncertainty and fear that emanated from her. "I'm not ready to be a mother. I'm not ready for anything like that at all. How could I even be a mother when my own didn't raise me? How could I hope to be a parent when my father, the demonic warlord Trigon, raped my mother, who then attempted to commit suicide? How could I be a good mother when I was raised by monks that spent my entire childhood and early teens teaching me to control my emotions, least they break everything around me or summon Trigon? How could I even do this? I mean, yes, I destroyed my father last year and I've been learning to feel emotions without things going wrong around me, but where does that give me the right to _be_ what I'm going to become?"

For a long while, nobody spoke. The other Titans were nervous, seeing as they had never seen Raven so…upset. Cliff and Larry didn't have anything to say just yet. Rita and Mento were both lost in thought when the television behind them suddenly flickered on. There was a flash of light and an obnoxious voice started speaking.

"Hey Titans, just popping in for a bit to see Seymour and I was gonna ask Raven to proof-read my latest fan…"

The whole room was staring at Control Freak, who had just looked up from a stack of papers he was holding. He looked at the Titans, his gaze lingering on Starfire (who shivered), then drifted towards the Doom Patrol.

"Fiction." He said slowly, realizing he had showed up at a _very_ bad time. A bubble of magic formed over the papers, which drifted to Raven's outstretched hand.

"Definitely not one of your finer moments, Eugene." She said, raising an eyebrow at the former villain.

"Aw come on! You guys haven't seen me since chapter 5 and I gotta let you know I'm not just a background character! I'm important too, like in the next chapter when I-"

Beast Boy hopped up and clamped his hand over his friends' mouth. "Dude, seriously, no spoilers. Just go see Seymour already, we'll catch up to you in a bit."

Control Freak nodded vigorously and waddled rather quickly towards the door. He tossed Starfire a wink.

"Please, friend Beast Boy, tell Control Freak that I find his attentions most uncomforting." Starfire shuddered as Robin started foaming at the mouth in irritation.

Gar chuckled. "Oh he knows, Star, trust me. He still thinks yer hot though."

He turned away from Starfire and Robin's disgusted looks to see Mento looking him in the eye.

"So now what, Beast Boy? Where do you go from here?" His mentor and father-figured asked him in a stern but quiet way.

The verdant changeling looked at him hard for a moment. "You think I should marry Raven so that the kid isn't born out of…what's the word…wedloop?"

"Wedlock." Mento nodded, noting that this 'bond' Raven mentioned had brought Beast Boy some clarity of mind. It was an unexpected, but most certain welcome, surprise to find that s _omeone_ had finally convinced the boy to use his brain.

Raven and Rita both looked at Mento, then Garfield in opened mouth surprise. The teen was in deep thought for a moment before he shrugged. "I think you're right Mento…but I think you're wrong too."

Multiple sets of eyes raised eyebrows in slight confusion as the changeling shrugged.

"I'm not against the idea at all. I couldn't be happier to have Raven by my side for the rest of my life. But I don't want her to think that she _has_ to marry me 'cause she's having my kid. I'd want her to marry me 'cause _she_ wants to. And we've only been together for a little while…so I want to take that time to make sure she wants to spend the rest of her life with me."

"Kid, that's the smartest thing I've ever heard you say." Robotman started laughing. "Man, why didn't you hook up with this chick sooner? She coulda knocked some sense into yer thick skull years ago!"

"Nah, I don't think so." Garfield said instantly, causing Cliff to stop laughing. "I was way too immature back then and I'm still pretty immature now. I had to grow up a bit and learn more about this complicated girl before I had a chance with her."

The Doom Patrol gaped at him, just now realizing how much he had changed over the years with the Titans. Raven couldn't keep the smug smile off of her face.

"This doesn't mean you're going to get out blessing." Rita crossed her arms and looked away.

"Oh, yer gonna give them a blessing or else." Cliff said as he got up and stomped his way to stand behind the surprised teens.

"Or else what?" This came from Mento, whose tone became very cold.

"Or else I'll quit the Doom Patrol and help these kids out as much as I can."

Mento and Rita's eyes almost popped out of their skulls, but Robotman cut them off before they could argue. "Don't even start with yer shit Mento. You're the reason the green bean left us to begin with, always tryin' to turn him into something he's not. He's not a hardass like you. And on top of that, I _heard_ you bragging to people that 'your son led a counter charge against the Brotherhood of Evil and rescued not only his team, but dozens of other young heroes and then imprisoned the Brotherhood in ice'!"

Garfield gaped at Mento, who couldn't look up to meet his gaze.

Negativeman suddenly joined his teammate and crossed his arms to stare at his teamleaders. "Cliff has a point. Rita, weren't you just telling me a couple of weeks ago that you were looking forward to the day when Garfield would settle down with a nice girl?"

Now it was Rita's turn to look away from Gar's gaze. Cliff gave a robotic equivalent to a snort. After a moment, Mento spoke slowly.

"How did you get pregnant? It was my understanding that Beast Boy…that Garfield was sterile, as were interdimensional half breeds like you."

"As disturbing as this sounds, my demon half is responsible for the pregnancy. She exists as a separate entity within my consciousness, confined so that she can't do anything. But on that night the drink somehow let her and all my other contained emotions out. Instead of causing havoc, they all set their sights on Garfield…" Raven's face began to heat up as she tried to rush the rest of her explanation. "Anyways, my demon half decided it would be a good idea to bind him to us bodily via pregnancy, which I assure you I did not approve. She did so by using my magic to forcibly evolve his DNA over and over until it bound to…mine."

"So this bond…it's mental and emotional as well?"

"Yes. Our emotions feed and feed off of each other. As you saw a few minutes ago, I got angry with you and within moments it affected Gar. Even though I had calmed down, _his_ anger affected me too. On top of that, our bond allows us to locate each other."

"Hmmm." Garfield's adopted father leaned forward from his chair and studied them. "I wouldn't think regular alcohol would affect an individual such as yourself."

"I don't either, which is why we're going to confront our drugger very soon." Raven nodded then turned to Cyborg. "Who did it, Cy? I know that you know."

Cyborg hesitated, looking around at all the faces that were watching him. He quickly ran through his options.

 _One, I can lie. But Raven and Mento are empaths so that wouldn't work. Two, run like hell. But everyone here is faster than me but Mento and Robotman, so I ain't getting far. Three, shut down. It might work for a bit, but both Rob and Raven know how to turn me back on and I'm sure Mento and Robotman could figure it out too…._

That left his only option to tell the truth. He sighed and closed his eye. "Kid Flash."

Instantly Raven whipped out her communicator and dialed Jinx, who picked up after a few minutes.

"Hey Raven, what's going on?" The pink haired girl asked cheerfully.

"I'm pregnant." Raven told her in a neutral tone.

Jinx's eyes popped open. "YOU'RE WHAT?"

"I only repeat things for Garfield because he doesn't listen half the time." Raven rolled her eyes before setting a cold glaze on her pink counterpart. "Why don't you and Wally drop in? I'd like to have a talk."

"Okay…" Jinx said slowly before she hung up.

After only a couple of minutes, the security system detected two arrivals. Their clearance codes got them in and they made their way to the common room. Upon opening the door, however, they both stopped. There appeared to be a meeting of some sort going on and they had just unwittingly become the center of attention.

"Hello Jinx, hello Kid Flash." Raven said with a dark smile as they approached the couch. "I'm glad you could join us."

"Uhh…yeah, sure Raven." Jinx eyed the people in purple uniforms just like Beast Boys'. "So what's up, you wanted to talk to us?"

"Well, not quiet you so much as Wally."

Kid Flash bolted at that moment, knowing the jig was up. Before anyone could blink, he was at the door.

He bounced off a black magic shield. Not missing a beat, he blasted off towards another exit, only to find all of them blocked. He stopped against the northern wall and looked behind him.

Raven was coming, in all her demonic fury. **"You know, Wally, I thought we were friends. Why are you running from me?"**

"You'll never catch me, Raven. Not in this life or the next." Kid Flash began to vibrate at ultra-high speeds and he backed into the wall behind him.

And abruptly bounced off it too.

He froze in fear, realizing that Raven's magic was preventing him from leaving. He attempted to vibrate through the floor next, only to be stopped yet again.

" **I don't think you understand what you've done, Wally."** Raven hissed, now much closer.

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Wally shouted, fear in his eyes, just before Raven's tendrils of black magic wrapped around him.

"Raven, please don't break my boyfriend!" Jinx shouted as she was firmly pushed back by a tendril.

" **I'm not going to break him, Jinx."** Raven snorted. **"But he needs to understand the severity of his actions. If my powers had gone out of control, they may have killed everyone in the building."**

"I'M NOT TAKING THE BLAME FOR THIS ANYMORE!" The yellow speedster shouted, his eyes darting around. Everyone paused, staring at him before a quiet voice spoke up.

"Please, friend Raven…put Kid Flash down."

Slowly, Raven turned towards Starfire, who had her eyes planted on the floor. Her anger washed out of her, replaced by a tide of confusion.

"Starfire?"

"It was not really our friends fault." Star fidgeted. "It was mine."

Raven could feel the breath leaving her as her magic dissipated, leaving a shaking Kid Flash behind. "But…how? When?"

"I requested our friend to put a few drops of a special liquid into yours and friend Beast Boy's drinks."

"Liquid?"

"The closest translation from Tamara to Earthling would be the myuilian potion. It is a liquid made by the seer-priests of my world for individuals that have problems expressing themselves to the people they care most about." The alien girl lifted her eyes for to look at Raven guiltily. "It was only my intention that you each receive one drop of the potion but Wally misunderstood me."

"Why one drop?" Gar asked from the couch.

"One drop would have given you both the courage to tell each other how you really feel."

"How much did he put in our drinks?" Raven approached her orange skinned friend, feeling her anger rising again.

Starfire was quiet for a long time before she spoke softly. "The whole bottle."

"What effects would a whole bottle split between two individuals include?"

"I do not know, friend Raven, I have never witnessed the effects before that night."

Raven slapped her, causing everyone to wince. Starfire's eyes lit up with tears

" _You drugged us, Starfire_. _Why the in the name of Trigon would you do that?!"_

"I am sorry! I was afraid for you!"

The sorceress hesitated. "Afraid? Of what?"

"You were starting to withdraw from everyone again, fighting with friend Beast Boy more and more!" Starfire's tears were pouring now. "Raven…I am sorry…I was just trying to help…you being with child was an accident…"

Raven glared at her. "Accidents can happen, but what you did to us was very much on purpose."

"You have betrayed my trust, Starfire of Tamaran." She said coldly as she turned away. "It will take quite some time before you earn it back."

Starfire sank to her knees as Robin ran to comfort her. Before he could say anything to Starfire or Raven, the half demon stopped and looked over her shoulder, her temper already fading as she listened to her friend weep.

"You'll start by babysitting." She said softly.

* * *

 **PLOT TWIST!**

 **Who was expecting that, eh?**

 **That's right. None of you. :P**


	12. One Little Fat Guy

**_Hello my friends, we meet again. It's been a while, how should I begin? It's been forever._**

 ** _I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write this, I was struggling with writer's block. Though that's hard to tell with all the other stuff I posted lol._**

 ** _Anyways, I enjoyed this little chapter and my friend Allen Blaster is actually half responsible for giving me inspiration for it. Chatting with him made me realize what I was missing from my story and I'll be damned if I let that happen again._**

 ** _I hope you guys enjoy this! Assuming that I don't get swamped with work again I should have the next chapter up before too long, since I already have most of it mentally planned. R &R please and thank you!_**

 ** _P.S.- I might have had a little too much fun with certain part of this story._**

* * *

 _It's strange to think that it's already been months since that day. The day that I met the Doom Patrol on a more personal scale and the day that Starfire confessed her actions. I am now four and a half months into my pregnancy and it shows no matter what I wear. Thankfully, I'm no longer nauseated every time I so much as move my legs. I got very tired of that very quickly, as many of Gar's clothes can attest to. It's a little weird to be out of breath just walking down the hallway as well, but it's something I can deal with. I've gained weight, but that's to be expected. As much as I don't want to admit it, I actually like weighing a little bit more than what I'm used to. Gar says it looks good on me, makes me look healthier and I'm inclined to believe him. Not that he could lie about it anyways. The others agree with him and Starfire has declared on more than one occasion that I "glow with the intensity of a Glorflak Zifferdoof during the peak of its prime". I have no idea what that means but it sounds like a glowing creature of some sort._

 _Speaking of Starfire, I still haven't completely forgiven her. What she did was wrong and she knows it, but at the same time I'm actually happy with my life now._

 _What a weird sensation._

 _It's said that emotional instability and bad dreams are common in the second trimester of pregnancy, but since I've struggled with those all my life so I honestly can't tell the difference. As long as I have Gar by my side, I'm certain I can handle them in whatever form they choose to take. One thing I'm not entirely sure about dealing with is my increased sex drive. I find myself wanting it…frequently. I'm not really sure if it's a good thing or bad thing. Gar would probably say it's a good thing._

 _This is where I'm supposed to say "Typical testosterone-driven boy" and roll my eyes, but the truth is that I want it more than him far more often than not. I even went to Nevermore and had a 'discussion' with Love/Lust about it, who blamed it on the pregnancy. Knowledge agreed with her (damn those Expecting Mothers books I read!), so I couldn't even threaten to lock Lust up. Oh well. I know Gar will take care anything I need._

 _Thinking of mine and Garfield's love life makes me remember when I cleaned out our room of his 'dirty movies'. It was surprising difficult. I never knew about how protective a boy could be about his secret porn stash. It actually took me three days before I gave up. In the end I had to get a tip from some of the other female Titans, though I am immensely embarrassed as to what I had to do. I found out two things that day as well._

 _First, my now-larger (and insanely tender) breasts apparently hold hypnotic powers over my boyfriend. A bit of teasing and suggestive talking was all it took to get him to give his stash up._

 _Second, the articles in his stash consisted primarily of 'goth' or 'punk' girls, very much to my surprise. There was also something called 'light bondage', which he refused to explain to me. So I read the magazine it was in._

 _Wow…_

 _Speaking of 'our' room, Gar and I have been in this new room for a couple of months now and it's nothing less than great. I forgot the measurements of the room, but it's pretty big. One whole wall has all my books, our dressers, and large walk in closet. Our king sized bed is against the back wall and the door to the nursery is close to it. The nursery itself is fairly large, with a single window overlooking the bay. Gar bought me a rocking chair and put it there the day after we moved in it. He's so sweet sometimes that it makes me wonder why I didn't realize my feelings for him sooner. Perhaps if I had been kinder to him instead of mean he might have been this sweet from the beginning of our friendship? A thought for another day._

 _I must also say that it is nice to have our own private bathroom._

 _It's kind of lonely in the tower right now. The others and Gar are out fighting crime and I'm stuck in here just because Doctor Light got a lucky shot off last week. It only grazed my side, but Gar went absolutely BERSERK._

 _When Doctor Light gets out of the hospital, he'll probably still be traumatized. Again._

 _Robin was almost as adamant as Garfield that I start staying at home. It won't be long before people notice that I'm not with the other Titans and when the villains notice it'll get rough. I've gone over the list of people who could join the team as my replacement (an unsettling line of thinking, if I am to be honest) and I have narrowed down to several people that show promising results._

 _First is a young African American man named Virgil Hawkins, codenamed Static. He has electromagnetic powers, kind of like Killowat. His powers specifically concern super-conduction manipulation, electrical manipulation, magnetism manipulation, an innate telepathic resistance (which I have deducted to originate from his other powers), and some sort of healing factor via energy. To top it off, he shows remarkable abilities in the scientific field and has a host of gadgets he's made over his career. He also shows ability as a strategist. He's got a good sense of humor but a better head on his shoulders than most. He'd obviously get along with the whole team, which makes him my number one candidate. Robin has a footnote at the bottom his report that states "Noted to be JL material, via Superman and Batman". That's, as Gar puts it, "One hellavu compliment!"._

 _After him is a Caucasian boy known as Captain Marvel Junior, an odd name for a young hero. From what I understand, he has most of the powers of Captain Marvel (better known as Shazam these days). Super strong, super-fast, very durable, magical lightning (why is electricity so popular a power?), and surprising enough, a healing power that Captain Marvel doesn't possess. It's speculated that he'll grow into more powers as well. He's a bit of an odd boy, I've been told. In his non-powered form he's relatively quiet and has to use a crutch to get around. In powered form, he's a fairly serious and doesn't hesitate to help someone. His fascination with Elvis Presley is…something else. Also noted to be JL material, albeit Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter this time._

 _Next in line is an Amazon girl known as Wonder Girl, apparently modeled after Wonder Woman. Her powers are similar to Wonder Woman's; flight, superhuman strength, speed, durability, and stamina, a magical lasso that apparently shoots lightning (again with the electricity!), along with a solid amount of combat experience. Robin says there's something complicated about her past that even he doesn't really understand, which is why he even hesitated to add her to the list. It can't be any more complicated than the rest of us…right?_

 _By Azar, I must really be bored if I'm writing about 'work' in my diary._

 _I can't even go into the nursery right now because the boys were in there painting it this morning and it still smells like paint fumes. It's a lovely shade of purple, like our room. Garfield himself painted little stars on the ceiling and even put little glowing star sticker things up there too. The carpet, oddly enough, is white, as is most of the furniture. Why he insisted upon white, I'll never know. White gets so dirty so easily. Oh well, since he picked it he'll clean it. Starfire must never know, but the crib she picked out is actually really cute and it matches the dresser and changing table Cyborg picked up a few weeks ago. It's so nice to have friends that support Gar and I._

 _I haven't told anyone this, but I'm more excited to have this child than Garfield is._

 _I wonder if I should tell him the gender of the child? I've known for a few weeks now but I'm willing to bet he'd be ecstatic to know it's a_

Raven's empathic senses suddenly alerted her to another presence in the tower, halting her writing. There was someone in the common room and it wasn't a Titan. Stretching out a hand, she summoned her cloak and wrapped it around herself. She wasn't going to take any chances, so she assumed her incorporeal form and phased through walls and floors to reach the disturbance quickly.

She reached the room quickly and slowly peered about. Nothing appeared to be out of…

The refrigerator door shut and Raven rolled her eyes.

"Control Freak, if you're going to come see Seemore and Garfield at least make sure they're here before you raid the fridge. Cyborg is still mad that you ate his meatzza *****." She grumbled. Control Freak paused only for a moment before stuffing a sandwich into his mouth.

"Actually Raven-" He chewed noisily, "I came to ask you to proofread another of my stories."

The sorceress groaned in exasperation. "Don't you have any _real_ friends to do that?"

"The master of television and the internet doesn't need friends!" The fat man struck what he assumed was a heroic pose, which only flaunted his ample stomach. "Except Beast Boy and Seemore, those guys are cool. And since you're Beast Boys' girl and really really smart…"

"I get it, I get it." Raven sighed and held her hand out. "What is it this time? I swear if it's another Cyclops and Wolverine homoerotica, I'll choke you."

The fat ginger glanced down at the sheaf of papers he had started to pull out of his coat and hesitated. Wisely, he put the papers (amply named _Mr. Shades And His Doggy Go For A Walk)_ back into his coat and pulled out a different set. He handed them to her, eying her warily.

"You…you wouldn't tell Seemore and Beast Boy that I write homoerotica…right?"

A sudden thought struck her and she grinned evilly. "Who knows? I might be slightly less inclined to tell them if I happened to have a thermos of hot rosemary tea from Chantelle's Tea Shop and a box of macadamia nut cookies."

He looked at her for a long moment before his shoulders sagged. "Are you sure you aren't evil? Cause blackmail is totally an evil thing. And didn't Beast Boy say you were eating too many cookies?"

Raven stared at him icily. "I'm starting to get thirsty. I wonder if the others will be back soon."

Grumbling to himself, Control Freak whipped out his remote and used it to jump into the television. Raven smiled to herself. This wasn't the first time she had done this to him and it amused her more every time it happened. It seemed that every other week he was bringing her something to proofread. Half the time it was something good. While his grammar and writing style weren't what one would call the best, he more than made up for it with creativity and enthusiasm. He wrote a variety of things, from sci-fi to fantasy to drama. The story she had mentioned earlier was "the first thing that came to mind when he decided to try his hand at romance". She _really_ didn't want to know why, even if the story was written well.

She could have completely done without the sex scenes though. It just wasn't her cup of tea.

She looked down at the title of the story in her hands in curiosity. "' _The Color Purple_ '? I wonder what this is about…"

* * *

About ten minutes later, the dimming of the lights in the room drew her attention away from the paper. Looking up, she saw that they weren't dimming so much as slowly dying off all together. There was plenty of light coming in through the front windows, but now the appliances were turning off too.

At first, she suspected Control Freak. She discarded that idea almost immediately, for he was even easier to read than Garfield was. Mentally, she ran through a list of villains that had been seen recently. There were a few that were under the radar, but no one came to mind as having the tenacity to attack the tower alone.

She whipped out her communicator and called Cyborg, whom she knew would be able to answer quickest. It only took a moment for him to answer.

"Raven? What's up? We're kinda in the middle of-" There was a crunching sound and a familiar roar in the back. "-fighting Cinderblock right now!"

"Just Cinderblock?" She asked, looking around the room as a few sparks came from blown bulbs.

"Nah, Rob and Star are dukin' it out with Plasmus next block over. Why?"

The sparks became more intense as Raven backed towards the door. "I think I found the third amigo, Overload."

Cyborg shouted something, but it was cut off as a bolt jumped from the wall switch and struck the communicator from her hands. Raven cursed to herself. Cinderblock she could handle. Plasmus she could handle _alone_. But Overload? This wasn't going to be easy unless she could get him outside near the bay.

As if knowing its name was spoken, the electric being pulsed from the available sockets throughout the room and formed between her and the front windows. The crackling of his existence was accompanied by the static-like noise that they had all assumed was his laughter. Raven sighed to herself and began chanting.

A sudden bash to the back of her head sent her tumbling to the ground, where Overload struck her with a blast. Raven cried out in pain and reflexively clutched her stomach as her body spasmed on the floor. A mocking laughter filled the room.

"So this is great and powerful Raven that my master fetched for the demon Trigon? You don't seem all that powerful to me."

Her body jerking, Raven lifted her head to stare at the intruder in confusion. She thought it was Slade at first, but then noticed the breasts, shorter stature, and the bandana that served in place of a mask. There were two eyeholes as well, yet another inclement indicating that this wasn't Slade.

"W-who are you? Slade's newest lackey?" She chattered, trying to not bite her tongue.

"No…" Said the girl, a bit of venom in her voice. "His first apprentice."

Raven's sarcastic response died on her lips as the girl withdrew a pistol and a single glowing katana. Above the sorceress, Overload cackled in a way that sounded like a power transformer exploding.

The half demon knew she was in dire trouble. Not only were her powers considerably diminished due to her pregnancy, but her empathic ability had completely missed the girl as well! How long had she been lurking there today, waiting for Raven to let her guard down? Overload was easy enough to figure out, he could just travel through the underground cables that fed them power from the city. Garfield and the others wouldn't make it in time, they couldn't. She eyeballed her fried communicator, wishing that she had been more careful. One call and she could have Jinx and Kid Flash here far sooner than the others, even if Wally was still terrified of her. Hell, even Control Freak would be helpful right now.

As if hearing _his_ name being thought, the said fat man walked through the eastern common room door, looking slightly annoyed. He was looking down at the thermos stacked on top of two packs of cookies in one hand while unwrapping a Starburst with his other hand.

He snorted out loud. "You know, Raven, you're pretty bad at blackmailing people if you think it's cool to cut off their way to get back with what you want. Good think Seymour forgets to turn the Wi-Fi off on his phone or else…"

He trailed off, looking at the scene in front of him. The ginger man snorted, stomped his foot, and threw the food to the side.

"Alright, Foamsatmouth, I don't wanna be your lackey for things like this!" He yelled. "Why don't you just tell people that I'm the hero of the story already?!"

The masked girl turned to Raven. "Who's he talking to?"

Raven shrugged as Control Freak continued to flip out.

"You lame-brain, half-wit, lazy ass bum of a writer! When are you gonna make me do something _really_ cool?! I'm the most important character in this freakin' story! When does Starfire become my girl?!"

At this point, time stops and an irritated sigh fills the air.

 **" _You know, Control Freak, dragging me into this doesn't make you look very good."_**

"Oh puh-leeze, everybody knows you're a sorry writer that couldn't pen two words together if your characters' lives depended on it!"

 **" _Oh really? Is that so? So what happens if…"_**

Control Freak looks down to find himself in Starfire's outfit and his eyes bulge out of socket. "What the heck is this for?!"

 **" _Well, you wanted to be the_ _star_ _of this story, didn't you?"_** A laugh fills the air. **_"Tell you what, since I'm such a terrible writer, I'll just drop you off at the White Horse Bar downtown."_**

The ginger man began to whimper. "Isn't that the gay bar?"

 **" _Yup."_**

You see Control Freak's shoulders visibly sag. "Alright alright, I'm sorry."

 **" _Good boy. Now, did you have a legitimate reason for breaking the fourth wall this time?"_**

"Yeah, I wanted to know why you were using me and not someone else for this scene. Like, one of the actual hero's?"

 **" _Why not you? I like your character as much as the rest and I'm inclined to give you a few cool moments when I please. Besides…that's totally cliché."_**

Control Freak pulls a stack of papers from his coat. "It says here that I fight these guys next. Am I supposed to win, lose, or chase them off? It doesn't actually say."

 **" _I haven't decided."_**

"Okay, fine. What's this in the next chapter where I…" You see his eyes bulge larger than last time. "I WHAT?!"

The stack of papers suddenly disappears from his hands and the voice speaks in irritation once more. **_"One of these days I'm going to figure out how you keep getting ahold of that."_**

"SERIOUSLY?! I'M-"

 **" _Spoil_ _anything_ _and I'll_ _lock_ _you in that bar, no remote. Understand?"_**

A very upset Control Freak nods unhappily and pulls out his remote as time restarts. Thankfully, his normal clothes return just before anyone can notice his wardrobe change. He glances at the masked girl and raises an eyebrow.

"Ravager?"

Raven barely noticed her captor stiffen before the girl demanded that Overload kill the fat guy. The crackling electrical being turned to her friend, who rolled his eyes. The nerd simply pointed his remote at the kitchen sink and pressed a button. The sink sprung to life and started hosing Overload down immediately. The masked girl, known as Ravager, dug her pistol barrel into Raven's head as she watched her elemental cohort shrink down to his base component as he was blasted with more water pressure than Raven was aware a sink could have. When the soaked computer chip stopped groaning, the assassin glared at the fat man in a trench coat.

"You should know better than to mess with the mighty Control Freak, Ravager!" He cackled. The assassin growled.

"How do you know my name?"

"Uh, helllloooo? I'm the king of the internet, you can't hide from me! I know aaaallll about you and your da-"

Quicker than Raven could react, the masked girl struck her hard in the temple with the butt of her gun and rendered her unconscious immediately. Turning with almost inhuman speed, Ravager fired off several rounds at Control Freak. He simply smiled in a smug fashion as his kitchen sink monster darted in front of the bullets. Seeing that Cyborg's kitchenware was as durable as he hoped, the ginger starting animating everything that wasn't nailed down. Within moments the assassin was surrounded.

Snarling, the orange and black clad girl began systematically disassembling every piece of furniture and every appliance with her blade and gun. When she ran out of ammo, she withdrew another katana.

Control Freak was impressed. She was handling herself far better than any of the Titans did on their own against him. Almost casually, he pointed his remote at the unconscious half demon and made her disappear. Not only would this earn him big time brownie points with the other Titans, but Raven _and_ Beast Boy would totally owe him one. He smiled, thinking of the ultra-rare signed copy of Space Trek 3000 season finale that Beast Boy owned.

A shuriken flashed in front of his eyes, narrowly missing him by a hairsbreath, drawing his attention to a panting and rather tired Ravager that was staring daggers at him.

"I'm not going to be defeated by some fat loser like you!" She growled.

Control Freak started laughing. "My dear Ravager, you just don't know who you're dealing with!"

As he laughed, the fat slob of a nerd put his remote away and replaced it with a curious looking stick with two prongs at each end. The assassin pursed her lips in curiosity, wondering what sort of annoying trick he had up his sleeve neck. Disbelief could be seen on her face as a blade of pure energy sliced out from each prong, leaving the grinning ginger man with a quad-bladed laser sword.

"Yes, be afraid, my dear Ravager. For I am Darth Controlicus, a Level 12 Space Samurai!" He cackled gleefully. The girl shook her head and growled as she launched herself at him. She came in low and fast, hoping to cut his legs out from under him. He flipped straight up and over her, surprising her with his agility and speed.

Ravager rolled forward as his laser sword sliced downwards where her head was only a split second before. Instead, it grazed her back. She hissed in pain as she got up. Control Freak smiled at her death filled glare and gestured at her tauntingly.

"I'm going to kill you so slowly, fat man, that you'll lose weight before you die!" The girl spat hatefully.

Control Freak somersaulted over the remains of the couch, twirling his laser sword and cackling. "The only Titan to have ever beaten me in one-on-one was Beast Boy! What makes you think that _you_ have a chance?!"

Up and over the couch a furious Ravager went, swinging hard and fast. Left, twist and up, spin and backhand from the right, hop and slash down, up the furniture, over the furniture, across the room, off the walls…

SHE COULDN'T HIT THE DAMNED FAT MAN AT ALL!

But as her fury grew, so did the speed of her swings. Before long, she _finally_ landed a hit on the ridiculously agile obese man.

Control Freak looked down at his sliced sleeve and watched the blood trickle out of it. It wasn't deep at all, but it was obvious that she really would kill him at this rate. It was time for a change in plans.

"Come on, girlie, Starfire is ten times the fighter you are and waaaaay cuter!" He cackled as he bounced out the door. "Catch me if you can!"

"Did you forget, you fool? I'm here for Ra…" The assassin trailed off as she looked around. Raven was nowhere in sight!

Control Freak heard her scream of absolute rage as he hauled his fat ass down the hallways as fast as he could. He had to get to the garage as quickly as possible, that's the first place the Titans will show up at. An absurd amount of cursing suddenly filled the air as the female assassin started down the halls after him. For someone trained to be a calm and cold killer, she certain had a bit of a temper.

 _Good thing Beast Boy didn't meet her before Raven, he's a sucker for aggro chicks like that_. Control Freak chuckled to himself as he bounded through the door to the garage. _Though I don't know who's got a shorter temper, this chick or Raven._

A dagger sailed past his head, making him flinch. _Damn, she's fast!_

He proceeded to bounce about the room, dodging her daggers and animating everything he could see. The girl was going absolutely _berserk_ now and Control Freak was running out of things to keep between him and her. It wouldn't be long before he was in arms reach again and that worried him.

A sudden rumbling noise filled the air, along with the sounds of a motorcycle racing through the tunnel. Ravagers' eyes widened.

"That's the sound of your butt-kicking coming." Control Freak taunted. The assassin snarled once more and leapt over shredded tires, swinging her glowing sword straight at his head. Eugen backpedaled, tripping over a destroyed toolbox. His considerable bulk smashed into the floor, landing painfully onto a slashed floorjack. He barely had enough time to put his laser saber up to block Ravager's descending blades. He looked up into her cold eyes and gulped.

"And now, fat man, you die." She said, her voice barely containing her psychotic glee. She put all her body weight behind her blades and Control Freak watched in slow motion as the blades cut right through the handle of his blade. Silently, he wondered if Space Trek 3000 was worth getting cut up by some crazy chick with a leather fetish.

A red gloved fist appeared in front of his face, crashing into Ravagers jaw. The shockwave of the strike sent Control Freak bouncing away and sent Ravager spinning through the air into the wall. She struck it hard and the sound of bones breaking could be heard. She rolled on the ground for a moment, fighting hard to regain her breath.

"You know, I might not like Control Freak, but that doesn't mean you can beat him up." A voice said from a few feet away. Ravager looked up to find the pink haired witch known as Jinx standing beside the yellow costumed Kid Flash. Ravager began cursing again.

"Hey now, no need for the language." Kid Flash scolded her. "It's bad enough Jinx talks like that when we-"

Jinx smacked him in the back of the head. "Hush, she doesn't need to know that."

"What the bloody hell are you two doing here?!" Ravager spat out some blood and struggled to one knee.

"Cyborg just called us." Jinx's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you do to Raven?"

Ravager only growled, to which Jinx raised her glowing pink hands menacingly. Kid Flash, who was now helping Control Freak to his feet, glanced at his girlfriend. "Jiiiinnnxxx…"

"Don't worry, Wally. It'll only hurt her for a moment." Jinx smiled darkly as she raised her hands above her head. Her pink hex-based magic was pulsating from her hands, demanding release. Just as she was about to blast the assassin, her boyfriend wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Jinx! We're the good guys, you can't do that!" He shouted as the witch struggled to magically eviscerate her downed opponent. The sound of the T-car and R-cycle screeching to a stop behind them drew their attention. The first thing they saw was a green blur shooting out of the passenger side of the car and bolting for the injured assassin.

"Holy crap, that was pretty fast for BB." Muttered Kid Flash, startling Jinx. They turned to find a towering green beast holding the wide eyed killer by the throat. His roar reverberated throughout out the room, threatening to knock out anyone that didn't cover their ears.

" **WHERE IS RAVEN?!"**

Control Freak, Jinx, and Kid Flash had never seen the Beast before and were too terrified to speak. The Beast began slamming the girl into the wall, roaring his fury. Cyborg and Starfire pounced on him to try to release her, but he shrugged them off over and over again.

" **WHERE?!"** _Slam_

" **WHERE IS RAVEN?!"** _Slam_

" **TELL ME NOW OR I'LL KILL YOU!"** _Slam_

"ASK THE FAT GUY!" Ravager finally shrieked. The Beast slowly turned to the ginger man and approached him, dragging the struggling killer by her throat across the floor. It stopped in front of the ex-villain and lowered his head down.

" **Eugene."** The Beast spoke calmly with an undertone of primal rage. **"Where is Raven?"**

His whole body shaking badly, Eugene pulled out his remote and pointed at the small screen on it, where a confused looking Raven was looking around. A sigh of relief came from the Beast, followed by the sounds of skin shifting and bones crackling. Within heartbeats, Beast Boy was standing in front of his friend. His entire body was still shaking in rage, but he released Ravager. She sunk to the floor onto her side, where she gasped for breath as blood slowly leaked out of her mouth. The punch that Kid Flash had given her had cracked her jaw, the wall had broken at least two vertebrae, impacting the floor had broken a rib and made it pierce her lung slightly, and now her throat was badly damaged. And to top it all off, she had failed to kill Raven.

 _Slade is going to be pissed_ , she thought as she reached into her belt and pulled out a small box. No one saw her do this and it gave her the opportunity to press the sole button on it. Energy crackled around her and she disappeared in a flash of light.

"Are you kidding me?" Beast Boy growled. "She had a freaking teleporter this whole time?!"

"Looks like she was here to kill Raven and get out." Robin said as he peeked at the remote. Raven was rubbing her head where Ravager appeared to have struck her.

"My garage!" Cyborg cried and slumped onto the floor. Starfire patted him on the head, which only made him cry harder.

"I'm sorry it took us this long to get here." Kid Flash's shoulder sunk. "I thought we had a good signal in the Germany, but I was wrong. We had to replay the message five times to understand it, it was _that_ garbled."

There was a clicking noise and Raven suddenly popped up in the middle of the group. She looked around, still a bit dazed and confused from being struck. Beast Boy immediately pounced on her and wrapped his arms around her, asking dozen questions, having dozen statements, and expressing his concern for her wounds in single breath. Jinx nudged Wally and nodded at the couple on the floor. He nodded in return and pulled protesting Beast Boy away.

The pink haired witch pulled a pendant from her pocket it, pointed it at Raven and began to chant. Raven recognized the spell as one of healing as waves of pink energy washed over her, encouraging her body to heal itself faster as if she had several days of rest. Within minutes, the throbbing in the sorceresses head disappeared, as well as the burns across her body. As soon as the spell was finished, Garfield helped his girlfriend up.

"Wally, Jinx…thank you." Raven hugged them both, then turned to Control Freak, who was eyeing Garfield warily. She only hesitated a moment before wrapping him in a hug too. "Thank you, Eugene. Today, you're my hero."

As she pulled away, she could see the funny look on his face. He appeared flabbergasted for a moment.

"Is this what it feels like to do something good?" He frowned a little and raised his eyebrow at Beast Boy.

Garfield nodded. "Feels pretty good, doesn't it dude?"

"I dunno, feels kinda weird to me." Control Freak shook his head. "I dunno about being a hero either, but I'll help my friends when they need it. Leaving Raven with a loony like Ravager…nah."

Wally popped up at that moment, chowing down on some cookies. He tossed Raven her thermos. "Looks like this is yours. Cookie?"

Raven looked at the thermos then looked at the pile of macadamia nut cookies rapidly disappearing down Kid Flash's gullet. She gave him a small smile and shook her head. "Thanks Wally."

"So who is this Ravager and why was she dressed like Slade?" Robin moved in front of Control Freak and crossed his arms, fully in his Slade-obsession stance. Control Freak shrugged.

"She's Slade first apprentice and his daughter." He said, then paused when shocked faces turned to him. "What? He's been in a bad guy for longer than you guys have been alive."

"We're not leaving Raven alone in the tower anymore." Garfield turned to Robin and stared hard at him. Robin immediately nodded.

"Agreed. We need more Titans around. Kid Flash, Jinx, would you two join our team?"

Jinx's mood brightened considerably. "Sure!"

Kid Flash flinched. "Uh…you know, Robin, the only things I'm tied down to is Jinx and being a hero. Staying in one place for too long is kinda hard for me."

"Then I'll stay." Jinx crossed her arms and looked at her now pouting boyfriend. "Wally, you know I love you, but constantly traveling is a _bit_ tiring on someone who isn't used to it. We've been traveling the world for months. Raven and the others need me here, at least for a little while."

Reluctantly, Kid Flash nodded. "I'll be here as much as I can and if you need me…"

"You'll come running." Jinx smiled at him. "I know you will, tiger."

"I suppose we should pick out a room for you now." Raven took Starfire's offered hand and hoisted herself off the floor.

"Sure thing. But first…" Jinx pointed at Garfield. "Someone tell me what the hell _that_ was all about!"

" _That_ is my boyfriend, Jinx." Raven smiled as Gar wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed his hands on her stomach. "He's a little protective of me, if you didn't notice."

* * *

 _ **A/N- google Meatzaa Video if you don't understand what it is. I promise, it's awesome.**_

 _ **P.S.S.- Yep. Waaaay too much fun with that part.**_


	13. How Not to go Shopping

_**Public Service Announcement:**_

 _ **I work too much.**_

 _ **Also, many thanks to Allen Blaster's continuous questioning (read: pestering) as to when I'd post another chapter and for his suggestion for a shopping scene. It honestly hadn't occurred to me to make a scene like that, so I am very gracious for his assistance.**_

 _ **BTW Allen... :P**_

* * *

"Traitor!"

Jinx laughed. "You never suspected a thing, Raven!

The pregnant sorceress glared daggers at the pink haired witch in front of her. "I trusted you! How could you do this to me?!"

"Because, my dear Raven…it was fun!" Jinx smiled evilly, her cat-like eyes narrowing in amusement.

"IT'S PINK!" Raven yelled, pointed at the stroller in front of her.

"But friend Raven, what is wrong with the color pink?" Starfire asked, frowning slightly.

"Starfire, I know _you_ like the color pink, but I like the color purple. And blue." The sorceress huffed. "You don't even know the gender of the child so why would you assume I'd want a _pink_ stroller?"

"So you _do_ know the gender!" Jinx's smile turned into a Cheshire cat-like grin. Raven groaned, realizing she had messed up.

"Yes, I know. Don't tell Gar, it's a surprise."

Starfire squealed. "Friend Raven, please do tell! I wish to know the gender of your bumgorf so that we may proceed to the mall of shopping for the correct gifts!"

"Fine, fine, just stop bugging me about it." Raven sighed. "It's a-"

The door to Raven and Garfield's' room opened to reveal her boyfriend. He smiled and waved at the visitors. "Hey Jinx, hey Star. Neat stroller, dudettes."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Gar, you know pink isn't my color."

He shrugged. "I think you look great in anything you wear, Rae. Happy wears pink and it looks good on her, if you don't believe me."

The empath sighed in exasperation and lay back on their bed, her hands on her protruding stomach. The verdant changeling chuckled and climbed in bed to lay next to her. Starfire and Jinx both giggled at Raven's irritated expression as Beast Boy started kissing her cheek to try to cheer her up.

"Come'on Rae, you know I'm riiiiiight." He teased.

"Shut it, Gar." She growled. "I don't do pink!"

"But what if the baby is a girl?"

"If it works with her complexion _she_ can wear pink. But I'm not. And I'm _not_ pushing a pink stroller around!"

Her lover laughed some more, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. Raven rolled her eyes at his cheerfulness and shoved him off the bed. He landed with an 'omph!', which made Jinx and Starfire burst out with laughter. Raven couldn't help but to smile as the top half of her lover's head rose up over the side of the bed to glare at her, his ears laid back in annoyance. As he continued to stare at her, her smile turned into a gale of laughter.

"You look like a frumpy frog!" She choked out.

His brow furrowed in annoyance, he ribbit'ed at her. This only served to increase girls' laughter and soon they were all rolling around holding their sides.

Rolling his eyes, Garfield suddenly shifted tongue and spat it out across the room just like a frogs' to whack Jinx in the head and then followed suit with Starfire. Both girls immediately cringed and cried out in disgust. Raven, knowing she was next, jumped up from the bed and ran for the door. She nearly bowled over Cyborg, who was standing there with his hand raised to knock, as she ran out.

"Heya Rae, BB hidin' in-"

 _SPLAT!_

Horror filled the cybernetic man's face as he ripped his friends extended tongue from himself. "AW COME'ON MAN! WHAT THE HELL?!"

The girls laughter started back up as Cyborg ran helter skelter for the bathroom, screaming about frog germs the whole way. Garfield couldn't stop himself from laughing with the girls this time.

Several minutes later, a wet faced and annoyed tin man stood before them, glaring at them to start laughing again.

"Now, as I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted by Kermit the freaking frog over there…" He growled. "BB, Rae, did you two still want a ride to go get baby clothes today?"

"Heck yeah dude." Beast Boy laughed and covered his mouth. "Sorry bro, I dunno what came over me. It ain't easy being green, ya know."

Neither Starfire nor Raven got the joke, but Jinx snorted and slapped a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. Cyborg glared at her until she stopped giggling, then turned back to the mother-to-be.

"Well, y'all need to get ready then. I'll be down at the T-car."

Beast Boy got up as soon as Cy left and approached his lover. Raven smirked at him and he couldn't help but to smirk back. "I'm ready when you're ready, Rae."

The sorceress pursed her lips in thought. "Do you know where Felix is? I haven't seen him today."

"Last time I saw him, he was sleeping on Jinx's bed."

"Little traitor." Raven grumbled to herself as she walked back in the room. Jinx and Starfire waved her goodbye as they left.

The pregnant half-demon walked up to their full body mirror on the wall and gazed at her protruding belly. Her cloak wouldn't hide it much longer, not that she could fit into her uniform anymore. She spent most of her time wearing yoga pants and t-shirts now.

"Gar." She sighed. "People are going to notice."

Garfield wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her belly. "I know Rae. Let'em. I can handle anything they wanna say."

She rolled her eyes and leaned back into his embrace. She gazed into the mirror before them and gave him a little smile. "You've gotten taller."

Gar tilted his head and stood up straight. His eyes widened when he noticed that he had indeed gotten taller. He was now a little taller than Raven, much to his delight.

"Sweet!" His smile widened.

Raven just shook her head and pulled away. "There'll be no living with you now, huh?"

"Nope! Now I can pick on _you_ for being short!"

She raised an eyebrow and put a serious expression on. "Is that so?"

He hesitated and watched her slowly change clothes in front of him. Other than when she pulled her shirt up above her head, she didn't break eye contact with him at all. He couldn't help but to lick his lips at the sight of her body as she slowly pulled a fresh pair of black and blue yoga pants on, though she was completely bra-less and shirtless.

"Ya know Rae…" He said slowly, trying his hardest to not drool.

"Yes Gar?"

"I'm sure that we don't have to leave right this second…we could…ya know…"

"Oh, I don't know Gar." Raven approached him and pushed her chest against his. "I'm too short for that kind of thing now, right?"

Her lover buried his face in her neck and growled. " _There's no way in Hell that would ever be right!_ "

"Are you sure, Gar?" The empath purred as she pushed firmly against him. "The sight of my short and fat body doesn't disgust you?"

" _You know very well that you aren't short or fat, Raven!"_

Raven smiled to herself as she pushed Gar towards the bed.

Cyborg could wait.

Some time later, the parents-to-be arrived in the garage. Cyborg immediately noticed the pleased look on their faces and snorted to himself.

 _I told them I was ready to leave an hour and a half ago and NOW they show up. I bet they were getting their freak on._ He thought to himself as he shook his head. _If it was anyone else, I'd have flipped out by now._

Ignoring the fact that the verdant changeling and violent sorceress were practically glowing, he jumped in the driver seat and turned the car on. He waited patiently as Beast Boy the door for Raven and made sure she was safely buckled in before he jumped in on the other side of the car to sit next to her. The mechanical man grumbled to himself in binary so that his green friend wouldn't know he was complaining about them doin' it before ridin' in his baby.

The trip was made in relative silence after that. The happy couple sat in the back holding hands while Cyborg moped about having to clean his seats to get his siblings' 'love germs' off. When they reached the mall, he dropped them off saying something about having to take his car to the carwash and wax place down the road. The couple shrugged and waved him goodbye.

Raven glanced nervously at all the people around them, many who were staring curiously at the new sight of them holding hands. She adjusted her cloak to wrap around her front a little better, trying to hide her stomach.

"Rae…" Garfield squeezed her hand. "It's alright."

Timidly, the empath nodded. Gar proceeded to lead her through the food court as they searched for a mall map. Though she wasn't actually hungry, Raven still swiped a few samples of Chinese, Indian, and Italian food as they passed their respective establishments.

"We should stop for some lo mein and fried rice on the way back." Raven commented as she tossed her mini-cups away. "That was really good."

"Sounds like a great idea babe." The changeling smiled at her. She returned it and continued to follow him through the mall. More people were noticing them now and quite a few were openly staring.

Normally, this would bother her greatly. But today she had her love with her and his hand was wrapped around hers. She could feel his confidence and assurance flowing through her, calming her fears and worry. She couldn't stop smiling.

Soon enough, they found the map they were looking for and quickly located the store. Two minutes later, they were standing in front of 'Baby Mart', the biggest name brand children's clothing store in Jump City. Raven glanced nervously at Garfield.

He simply smiled at her and murmured. "We got this, Rae. Don't worry."

Nodding once more, she followed him into the store.

It was much quieter in the store than outside in the walkways, thankfully. There couldn't have been half a dozen expecting moms/mothers in there, along with three employees. There were rows and rows and rows of all kinds of baby clothes, from newborns all the way up to five years old. Every color imaginable (and several that weren't) was available, stacked neatly onto tables and shelves. The couple was completely lost in the myriad maze of infantile clothing, their colors creating a silent cacophony that threatened to overwhelm the poor teens.

Starfire would have loved it in there.

Thankfully, an employee noticed them lost and dazed and approached them quickly. She was an older woman, plump, and with a lovely smile.

"Why hello there! Welcome to Baby Mart, home of all your infant and toddler needs…" The woman trailed off as she realized that she was addressing two the _Teen Titans_.

"Hi." Beast Boy gulped.

"Hello." Raven said this timidly, wanting to shrink under the woman's scrutinizing gaze.

"Can I…help you?" The woman, whose name tag read Anne, asked them slowly.

Beast Boy vaguely waved his hand at the piles of clothes. "We need…well…baby clothes."

"How old is the child?"

"Um…not here yet." Raven couldn't look the woman in the face.

Anne's eyes slowly widened as what was said sunk in. "I know you two are Titans, but aren't you a little young to be parents?"

Both teens nodded meekly. Anne crossed her arms in thought. On one hand, she wanted to scold them for fooling around and getting pregnant at such a young age. On the other hand, she wanted to console them for taking responsibility for their actions. The fact that they were superheros wasn't a factor in her mind.

"Alright, Mr. Beast Boy, Ms. Raven, what are you looking for specifically?" She asked after a moment.

Both teens had honestly been expecting to be reprimanded for being irresponsible, so they were at a loss for words for a moment. When Anne laughed at them, they warmed up.

"I want…purple clothes." Raven said, looking around. "Nothing frilly or lacey or anything like that. Just plain purple clothes."

Anne nodded and dragged the expecting couple towards the center of the store. The other employees and shoppers began to notice and whisper to each other. Garfield could hear what they were saying and while it wasn't anything bad, it certainly wasn't pleasant. He decided to not tell Raven, who was perusing through the mountain of purple clothes in front of her, Anne happily chatting away as she recommended different sets for different occasions. Garfield stood quietly to the side and watched his love grab several sets that Anne pointed out, each of them appealing the softly smiling empath. After she got an armful, she walked over to her lover and presented them to him.

"I like these."

Gar sorted through them in her arms and nodded his approval. "They look great Rae. Wanna get some blue, black, and green too?"

Raven frowned. "Do we have the money for more clothes?"

Her green boyfriend laughed. "Don't worry about money, honey. I've got all of that covered."

She raised an eyebrow. "Honey?"

"Yep." Gar chuckled before he leaned over and kissed her softly. "'Cause your kisses are as sweet as can be."

The empath, blushing furiously, swatted him on the arm. "G-Gar! Not in public!"

This time he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Ya know, Rae, every time you get all timid and stuff it just makes me wanna kiss you more. It's so cute!"

"Shut up, you stupid elf." She mumbled. Before the changeling could respond, there was a shuffling sound behind him. Turning, he found that the other mothers and the other employees had gathered around them.

"It's really them, isn't it?" Someone murmured.

A black woman in her early 30's nodded. "Sure is. And lookit how sweet they are to each other."

Another voice spoke out. "What are you two doing in here?"

The teen couple looked at each other before Beast Boy nodded. Trembling just a little, Raven pulled her cloak open and revealed her protruding belly. Gasps filled the air.

"How far along are you?" This came from Anne, who had joined the crowd.

"Almost five months." Raven kept her eyes planted on the ground as she hid behind her cloak again.

The black woman spoke back up. "How old are you kids?"

"I'll be sixteen soon and Rae is sixteen." Gar spoke up as he shifted the pile of clothes in one arm to the other. The look on his face was polite, but his eyes held a glimmer of emotion that was just _begging_ for someone to say something wrong. This was not lost on the women.

"So young!" Someone gasped.

"Do you have a nursery ready yet?" Anne asked.

"Yep. Got a crib, several dressers, changing tables, and all manner of other stuff too." Beast Boy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Just need clothes now."

"Boy, you need more than clothes. You gon' need diapers."

Raven groaned. " _That's_ what I forgot!"

Beast Boy looked at his girlfriend in surprise. "How many diapers could a baby need?"

The women around him started laughing. They laughed and laughed and laughed and then laughed some more. His ears drooping, Garfield looked around the store.

"I get it already, quit laughing and point me in the right direction." He grumbled.

Anne managed to stifle her laughter and led the changeling to a wall of diapers, where she proceeded to tell him which ones were best for what. Raven was left defenseless against the barrage of questions from the other mothers. They were harmless questions, really. Most of them were about what supplies she had, whether or not she would be breast feeding, whether or not she'd use glass bottle over plastic ones, and what kind of diet she had since becoming pregnant.

Raven answered as best as she could and learned more than a few things in this time, like how glass bottles were safer than plastic ones or how she should avoid spicy food until after the baby was born. Most of these women had more than one kid, so she absorbed as much information from them as she could. Funnily enough, several of them helped her pick out more clothes, even finding sets for seasons that hadn't come yet, all in the colors she and Garfield had picked. By the time her boyfriend had returned with half a dozen boxes piled high in his arms, Raven had a small mountain of clothes in front of her. They piled their new supplies into a cart and took them to the register.

The total was well over $300.

Raven's eyes bulged at the price, but Garfield didn't bat an eyelash. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a debit card she had never seen before. After paying and saying goodbye to the women and employees, Raven opened portal and deposited the boxes of diapers in the nursery. She kept the clothes though, the feeling of accomplishing something overriding her common sense. She hugged the bag to her chest happily as Gar led her back to the food court.

As her boyfriend stood in line for Chinese food, Raven couldn't help but pull out a set of sleeping clothes that had become her favorite almost immediately. They were green with dark green paw-prints on them. She smiled to herself and wondered if she could find matching sets for adults.

"Excuse me, aren't you Raven of the Teen Titans? What are you doing with baby clothes?"

The empath turned her head almost painfully slow to face the blonde woman that had sat down at the table next to her. Accompanying the woman was a dark haired man holding camera. Raven's heart almost stopped beating when she realized the woman was holding a microphone up to her, waiting for her to speak.

"Miss Raven?" The woman held the mic a little closer to her.

"My business is my own and I'll ask you not to butt into it." Raven said monotonously as she stuffed the clothing back into the bag and pulled it close. The woman, however, was very persistent.

"Miss Raven, I think the public has a right to know if there's explicit activity involving minors happening in such a well renowned place."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And why, praytell, is that?"

"Because you're superheroes and teenagers at that!" The woman huffed. "You still fall under the jurisdiction of the law, young lady!"

"The only person I answer to is my team leader, who answers to the Justice League, which cooperates with the government." Raven snorted. "I don't care the least bit about what you think is or isn't right and what _parasites_ like you think people should know. My business is my own and if I have to ask you to butt out again, I'll send you to another dimension."

With another huff, the woman turned away. Raven had just enough time to smile smugly to herself before she felt her cape get yanked away from her. She toppled backward in her seat, exposing her stomach. Before her predicament registered in her mind, the woman shouted.

"Look! Raven of the Teen Titans is pregnant!"

Some ways away, Gar heard the woman shout and realized just what kind of danger she had placed herself in. He shot out of the line, jumping over tables to try to reach her. Raven had just risen into the air, her shadowy tendrils of fury wreathing the area in a crown of darkness as her four eyes blazed with demonic fury. She hissed and lunged at the blonde, who screamed.

Just barely in time did Garfield leap in front of the woman and wrap his arms around Raven. "Rae! Stop! Calm down!"

" _ **No!"**_ She shouted. _**"I told her to leave me alone and she wouldn't! I know you heard her shouting! Now everyone will know and I'll never hear the end of it!"**_

"Raven! I need you to calm down! Please!" Her boyfriend begged. Even in her enraged state, she could feel his flesh crawling as he fought his transformation into the Beast. If both of them lost it, people would get seriously hurt.

Slowly, the shadows receded back to where they belonged and Raven's eyes returned to normal. He was right, she didn't need to get this angry about it. But it didn't mean she wanted the attention she was about to get.

The half-demon buried her face in her love's shoulder and tried to not cry. "Why can't you people just leave me alone? Don't you think this is hard enough?"

Garfield was actually grateful for her mood swings at this moment. She had gone from happy to murderous to distraught in a matter of minutes. It wasn't _actually_ a good thing, but the last change meant that she wasn't going to kill anyone. He started stroking her hair and speaking to her softly, trying to calm her down. Behind him, the reporter turned to her cameraman.

"Did you get that?!"

He nodded. "Oh yeah, every minute of it!"

"Good! We'll call it ' _Half-crazed preggo Titan goes on a rampage!_ '" She grinned and got up from her seat. "I'll finally get anchor!"

"Are you people freaking serious?!" Beast Boy all but roared this at them. The reporter duo turned as one to look at the super powered couple, smiling.

"Nope!"

Beast Boy and Raven only had time for a single 'Huh?' before a stream of green gas blasted forward out of where the camera lens was supposed to be. Garfield was unconscious instantly, his animalistic senses overwhelmed by the knock-out gas. Raven got a good lung full of the stuff, sending her reeling. She staggered to the side, trying to keep herself and her out-cold-boyfriend from falling to the floor. People suddenly started screaming and running, making the sorceress look up.

Instead of a blonde woman and a large, dark haired camera man being there, there was a woman with orangish _fur_ that had black spots and the man was now _scaly_ and _green_ , with reptilian eyes. Even through the fog overpowering her mind and body, Raven realized who they were.

Cheetah and Killer Croc.

 _Shit_. She thought before passing out.

Cheetah smiled wickedly as the people around them ran screaming. She pulled out a little communicator and spoke into it.

"Slade, we have them. And the attention of the public."

A cold and dark voice spoke back to her. "Good. Bring me the boy, it's time I stopped ignoring him. Take the girl to _him_."

The bestial woman faltered. " _Him?!_ Are you crazy? We weren't hired to-"

A blast of blue energy smashed into Killer Croc and sent him bouncing across the room. Cheetah hissed and snapped the communicator shut. She flexed her claws and eyeballed the enraged cyber human approaching her.

"HEY! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO ATTACK MY LIL' BRO AND SIS?!"

"Don't worry, little robot boy, you're on our list too!" Cheetah laughed at him. Cyborg's human eye narrowed just before he was blown backwards by an exploding baseball impacting his chest.

Growling, the cybernetic man got up on one knee and leveled his sonic blaster at the tall and heavily muscled blonde man who had appeared from the restroom. He had on a hockey mask, a blue tanktop, and khaki pants. In his hand was a baseball bat and a sports bag was strapped to his back.

"Batter up." The man chuckled.

"Sportsmaster?" Cyborg glanced warily at Cheetah and a recovering Killer Croc. This was getting worse by the second.

Before he could make a move, something _heavy_ slammed into his back, bringing him crashing back to the ground. Groaning to himself, he glanced up to find a blonde girl wearing a jester's outfit wielding a _huge_ freaking mallet. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yer gonna make Cheetah and Crocie late with meetin' Mista' J!" She giggled before she grinned maliciously. "Time to change your batteries, robot boy!"

Cyborg barely managed to roll out of the way and scrambled to his feet as the crazed jester slammed her mallet exactly where his head had been seconds before. She lifted her mallet again and swung at him once more. Backpedaling, Cyborg tripped over a table and stumbled backwards. He landed on his arm and his sonic cannon discharged, blowing the head off of the mallet.

The psychotic girl looked at it and screamed. "THAT WAS MY FAVORITE HAMMER!"

"Harley dear, do cool off. We have a job to do."

Cyborg looked up to find a man in a light blue parka with a white icicle pattern on the hood pointing some strange looking gun at him. His googles were dark blue and he was smiling.

"Ice to meet you, Titan." He chuckled.

Cyborg's eye widened. "Captain Cold?"

"In the flesh, unlike you."

Cheetah laughed at that one. "You three take care of him, we'll take these two."

"Mista' J is at the old carnie grounds, kitty cat!" Harley was staring daggers at Cyborg and had pulled out a large handgun. There was no doubt that it was loaded with armor piercing rounds.

Trapped between Harley Quinn, Sportsmaster, and Captain Cold, with Raven and Beast Boy being taken by Cheetah and Killer Croc, Cyborg did the only thing he could do.

He sent out the CALLING ALL TITANS signal.

Elsewhere, Slade turned to his remaining associates.

He pointed to the large man wearing a suit of alternating green colors. "Take care of Starfire. Be warned, she is strong and very resistant."

The green glowing skull almost seemed to smile. "She's no match for Atomic Skull, Slade. Do not underestimate me."

Slade nodded and then turned to a pair of people. "Mad Mod, Punk Rocket, you'll be here with me."

"Woteva' floats your boat, govena'." The older Brit laughed. "'ere now Punky, you'll get to see how _real_ villains take care of heroes!"

Punk Rocket snorted. "I don't care how _you_ do it, Granda', I can beat them with the sounds of chaos!'

"Yes, because that's worked _so_ well in the past." Slade sneered at the boy, who faltered and looked away. The assassin then turned to the remaining man in the room, who was dressed in a similar fashion to him.

"Deadshot, when Cheetah and Killer Croc return, take them and set up an ambush for Robin."

Deadshot nodded silently and adjusted his ocular sight on his helmet. He wasn't fond of killing kids, but he needed a new suit; this one was more than a little worn out at this point.

"I do hope you weren't forgetting me, Slade."

The assembled villains turned to look at the latest member. The old cybernetic man had set his glowing red eye on the assassin as he slowly made his way down the stairs. Slade merely blinked at the man.

"Of course not, Brother Blood. I have something special in mind for you and pupils."

A mere thirty minutes later, the villains dispersed. Slade, Mad Mod, and Punk Rocket remain there to await Cheetah and Killer Croc. It wasn't a long wait, seeing as all they had to carry was Beast Boy.

Croc threw him to the ground unceremoniously and growled. "Where's my money, Slade?"

"The job is not finished yet, Croc." Slade motioned to the boy in front of him. "He is but one of five we are targeting tonight. Deadshot will contact you momentarily so that you may play out your next part."

The large reptilian man growled again before stomping out the door. Cheetah cast a suspicious glance at Slade, who merely stared at her.

"Why do I have a feeling there is something you aren't telling us, Slade?" Her eyes narrowed into suspicious slits.

"There are two additional Titans here, and a third one on speed dial. They could be problematic, but that's why they're all getting split up."

"The Brotherhood of Evil tried that and see what happened to them?"

Slade moved so quickly that Cheetah barely registered his movements. In one moment, he was a few feet away from her. The next, he had her pinned to the wall by her throat.

"My dear Cheetah, you should know by now…I am _not_ the Brotherhood of Evil." His tone was quiet but promised death if she questioned him again.

She figured she could take him in a fight…but was it worth the risk?

After several moments thought, she nodded.

Slade released her and walked towards the unconscious changeling on the floor. He paused only once before resuming his walk.

"Get to work. We have Titans to kill."

* * *

 _ **Wow, this got really serious really quick didn't it? I'd say SURPRISE but I've been dropping hints about this over several chapters lol.  
**_

 _ **Let's see how this plays out, eh?**_


	14. How To Kill A Titan

_**Hola! Foamy here with another chapter! I know you guys and gals have been waiting for this chapter! Things are starting to heat up! Now for my reviewers!**_

 _ **Allen Blaster- This chapter is where things get intense, bro. Hope ya like it.**_

 _ **Latisha McPeanuts- Thank you, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D**_

 _ **RPGPersona- If you watch Young Justice, you might realize why I used him. He's not a bad filler villain IMO, which is why he got a little limelight in this chapter. Sort of. *snicker***_

 _ **Bluedog197- As Billy Mays used to say...BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!**_

 _ **Sweet Cyric, there's a lot more lol.**_

 _ **Stormhawk fan SHhype- The first question is 'somewhat' answered in this chapter. If you know enough about a certain villain in this chapter, you'll know that it is possible to interrupt their connection via what he can make. As for the second question, no, Slade did not directly mention Jinx, Kid Flash, or Seemore. He had something special planned for them. You'll find out what.**_

 _ **Now, I'd like to take a moment to address the single negative review I got.**_

 _ **I would like to point out that, in the show, cut away scenes to villains weren't very common. Heck, from what I remember, only Slade/Trigon and The Brother Hood of Evil got any real cut scenes. As such, I don't feel inclined in the least bit to do a cut away scene. If I happen to do one, it's to pester you guys. :P**_

 _ **With that being said, I would like to ONCE AGAIN point out that I dropped several hints throughout the story that there was something going on behind the scenes. If you couldn't connect the dots...well...too bad. The last chapter and the following chapters have been set in stone since the first letter of the first chapter. This is happening.**_

 _ **You lot are going to hate me.**_

* * *

 **EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! CALLING ALL TITANS! EMERGENCY!**

Robin was at the computer instantly, Starfire, Jinx, and Seemore right on his heels. As the caped crusaders' fingers flew across the keyboard, he pulled up multiple camera feeds originating from the area where the call came from. Within seconds, he found a live feed of the food court in the mall.

Cyborg was valiantly dodging a bizarre barrage of ballistic missiles that consisted of streams of ice, bullets, and what appeared to be exploding sports balls. Robin panned the camera around and found his assailants.

"Sportsmaster and Captain Cold?" His mouth gaped open, the turned into a savage sneer. "Harley Quinn!"

He whipped around. "Starfire, there's no time. Take me to Cyborg, Jinx, Seemore, take my R-cycle and catch up to us! TITANS, GO!"

Immediately, Starfire backhanded the nearest window and flew out. Before the glass had hit the floor, Robin had leapt out the window into his girlfriends' arms. Starfire wasted no time in hitting the fastest speed she could without harming her boyfriend. In the tower, Jinx and Seemore hauled ass down to the garage as quick as they could.

"Who the heck are those people? I mean, I know Harley Quinn, but not the other two." Seemore panted.

"Captain Cold is like, one of The Flash's main enemies. He's bad enough that Mr. Freeze, one of Batmans' top villians, respects him. Sportsmaster is a C-rank villain, like we used to be, but he was probably cheaper to hire than most C-ranks. He's crafty with his explosive weapons and he's good at hand to hand, but that's all he's got going for him." Jinx shouted as they ran through the halls. "One on one, only Captain Cold would give Cyborg problems. But all three at the same time? He's in trouble. These are _veterans_ of the villain world and they can probably work well enough together to keep him too off balance to fight back."

They reached the garage moments later and Jinx jumped on, grabbing the handlebars.

"Get on!" She shouted. Seemore didn't hesitate, wrapping his arms around her waist as they rocketed out into the underwater tunnel.

"And keep your hands to yourself, Seymour!" The pink haired sorceress shouted. "I have a boyfriend!"

"And if you didn't?" He shouted back.

She was quiet for a moment, then glanced back at him with a small smirk and she shouted back. "I'd think about it!"

Seemore grinned to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Robin and Starfire had just arrived at the mall.

"Drop me through the skylight, Star!" Robin commanded. She didn't hesitate and he plummeted through the glass, startling the villains. The caped crusader swept his cape out around him, using as a sort of parachute as he flew down like a living thunderbolt.

"Shit, it's Batman!" Sportsmaster shouted. Harley whipped her head around in fear before she saw who it was.

"Nah, Sportsy, it's just Bird Boy!" She shouted, firing off a couple of rounds at the air-born Titan. He pulled one side of the cape, making his flight bank left and away from the bullets. Moments later, he crashed down on top of Sportsmaster, who threw the boy off of himself. Harley turned her sights back on Robin and squeezed the trigger.

Only for Starfire's hand to wrap around her gun and crush it. Harley stared at the pistol, then looked up to meet the back of Starfire's hand.

On impact, the clown girl felt several teeth get knocked out as she bounced away across the floor. Spitting them out, she looked up furiously at the emerald eyed alien girl.

"If you insist on pointing your projectile weapons at boyfriend Robin, I _will_ harm you!" Starfire growled. Harley laughed.

"You sure you got time to worry about lil ol' me, sugar? What about your friends?"

Starfire looked around, spotting Cyborg trading shots with Captain Cold. The alien princess lifted her arm and slung a starbolt at the unsuspecting villain, who caught it square in the side. With a cry of pain, he was blown to the side.

"Thanks Star!" Cyborg shouted.

"You are most welcome! Tell me, where are friends Beast Boy and Raven?"

"These guys are working for Slade!" Cyborg hopped over the table he was using for cover and ran up to Starfire, who was eyeballing the downed Harley. "Killer Croc and Cheetah hit them by surprise with knockout gas and took them!"

Robin, who was still locked in hand to hand with Sportsmaster, feinted left then drove his right fist up into the older man's gut when he fell for it. As the man doubled over gasping, Robin grabbed him by the shirt.

"Where are they?!" He shouted. "What are you doing with my friends?!"

Harley tittered with laughter. "Now Bird Boy, we ain't gonna tell ya!"

Starfire's eyes began to glow as she hoisted Harley up by her hair. "You _will_ tell me where my friends are! Raven is with child!"

"Oh, I _know_ that, Red!" Harley grinned sadistically. "Mista' J _loves_ kids!"

Robin slammed his fist into Sportsmasters' face once more, dropped his defeated foe, and slowly turned to them, his face pale. "He's… _he's_ here?"

"Yup! I'd say he's meetin' yer friend Raven right about now!"

Cyborg turned to Starfire. "Star, grab Rob and go to the carnie grounds. That's where he's at!"

"But what of friend Beast Boy?" Starfire cried out.

"After I wrap these idiots up, I'll go after them. BB still has his communicator on so I can track him!"

"Wait for Jinx and Seemore, then go after them!" Robin shouted as he ran out the door. "Star, come on!"

The red headed princess bolted out after her boyfriend. Cyborg turned his arm into his signature cannon once more and pointed it at Harley.

"Get up and get over there with Sportsmaster." He ordered.

Sticking her tongue out, the blonde woman got up. Halfway to the downed man, she paused and turned around. She grinned at Cyborg. "Ya know, robot boy, the funny thing about all this is…"

Cyborg shoved his cannon right into her face and he looked at her coldly. "Unless you can move faster than my cannon can discharge, there's nothing funny about this. You took my friends. I am a _very_ angry robot man right now."

"B-b-but you're a good guy!" She sputtered.

"Accidents can happen." He snarled.

"Aww, come one. Aint ya at least gonna say what cops say? What was it again?"

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "What? Freeze?"

"Good idea." A voice said behind him. Before Cyborg could react, his body was encased in a heavy layer of ice, which only grew in size as Captain Cold kept a steady stream of his freeze ray on him.

Within moments, Cyborg was a block of ice.

Captain Cold held a hand on his side, covering a burn. "Damn, that stings. You should have warned me, Harley!"

"Could'a, would'a, should'a." Harley tittered in laughter again. "Doesn't matter, Ice Pop, we got our target."

Captain Cold glanced at the downed Sportsmaster. "And what about him?"

Grinning madly, Harley sauntered up to the downed man and slid a baseball bat out of his bag. She gave it a few twirls before raising it above her head.

"More money for us!" She giggled.

* * *

 **Elsewhere, at the same time…**

"Robin! I am worried about Raven and Beast Boy!" Starfire shouted over the wind as she flew them over the city towards the old carnival grounds.

"I know, Star, I am too!" Robin shouted back. "But Cyborg can handle those lightweights and then he's going after Beast Boy! We _have_ to stop the Joker before he harms Raven!"

"This Joker, is he really that awful?"

"Star…I'd rather face Trigon and Slade at the same time than deal with that madman."

Starfire's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to say ask him why when something caught her eye. It was a bright purple light.

And coming right at them!

With a yelp, Star dropped her startled boyfriend onto the roof they were above. Fortunately, Robin's reflexes were as sharp as ever and he skillfully tumbled to a stop. Starfire ducked behind a chimney and called out to him.

"Robin, are you all right?"

"Yeah Star, I'm fine. What the heck was that about?" He called back to her, peeking over the roofline into the street below. His mouth dropped in shock when he saw the heavily armored man with a green flaming skull for a head.

"I am not sure. That blast was from no one we have fought before."

"That's because it came from Atomic Skull." Robin ground his teeth in frustration. He turned and looked to Starfire. "Star, he's a Superman-class villain. I don't have anything to use against him."

The princess paused. "What powers does he have?"

"Superman-like strength, endurance, and stamina. Purple atomic blasts. Additional atomic powered super strength." The boy wonder rattled them off instantly. He knew damn near all the known supervillains powers.

"Come, girl. Fight me." A deep voice shouted out from below them. Robin's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to tell her to stay put, but Starfire was already floating out from behind the chimney.

"Star! What the heck are you doing?! You can't fight him!" He shouted.

"I can fight him far better than you or the others can." She stared hard at the glowing man. "My people are resilient to radiation. I may not be able to defeat him, but I will hold him here as long as I can. Go, save Raven and return to assist me."

Robin faltered. "Starfire, you can't…"

She turned to him and smiled. "Go, Richard. I love you."

"I love you too, Koriand'r." He said softly before leaping off the roof onto another. Starfire turned back to her land bound foe, her hands and eyes lit with power.

"I know not why you have chosen to attack my friends and I, but I will have you know that putting friend Raven and Beast Boy in deathly danger was a _very_ bad decision."

"Oh, I'm so scared." Atomic Skull laughed, his voice booming in the streets. "What are you gonna do, girlie?"

Starfire glared at the man. "Laugh as much as you like, for I will be the one doing the laughing when I do the kicking of your butt!"

He was roaring in laughter now. "That's hilarious! You talk like an idiot!"

"Are those your last words?" Starfire flew down, now on even ground with the supervillain.

The heavily armored man stopped laughing and glared at her. "You threatenin' me, kid? Just who do you think you are?"

Neon green power pulsating in her eyes, Starfire roared at the man. "I am Koriand'r of Tamaran, Warrior Queen of my people! In the name of the goddess X'Hal, _I will crush you_!"

Atomic Skull only sneered at her. "I've never killed a queen before."

* * *

 **Several blocks away…**

The sound of a building collapsing in the distance made Robin paused. He turned and looked back at the growing dust cloud in the distance as another building toppled. Starfire was brawling with Atomic Skull, this was for sure. For a moment, he was both proud of and terrified for his lover. He ground his teeth in frustration. First Joker, then Atomic Skull, then Slade.

He could only pray that Cyborg, Jinx, and Seemore would get there in time to save Beast Boy.

Snarling to himself, he leapt across an alley to another roof and sprinted across it. There was a two lane street between this building and the next, so he whipped out his grappling hook. When he reached the edge, he didn't hesitate to leap off. Dropping down into the traffic below, the caped crusader fired device and caught it perfectly in the next building. His momentum swung him perfectly up onto another roof, where he tucked and rolled as he landed. As he disengaged the cable and replaced the hook, he looked around. There were only a few more rooftops before there was a massive open lot. The buildings he had been traversing continued on the other side a ways before reaching the old carnival grounds. He wasn't far now.

The boy wonder dropped down onto the fire escape of his perch, then ran down the steps and flipped off. He landed with a crunch on the gravel of the lot. Looking around, he noted that it had recently been cleared for construction, but they had yet to do more than lay the foundation for whatever was going to be built here. That left it a huge open lot with little cover. Despite knowing that it was obviously a trap, Robin started sprinting across the open grounds.

The crack of a rifle sent him rolling across the ground, barely missing the bullet as it flashed over his head. He ducked behind a pile of steel fence posts and peeked around. Somewhere to the far left from where he entered, there was a sniper.

And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. It was just too great of a distance.

"Damnit!" He cursed to himself.

"Kids like you shouldn't use such language."

Robin looked around, now even more on guard. The pile of posts next to him shifted and he barely rolled away in time a huge form burst out from underneath them. It roared and pounded its fists down at him, making him roll away once more. As he regained his feet, Robin looked up into the much larger form, knowing who his reptilian foe was at once.

"Killer Croc." He spat.

"Dat's right, _boy._ No Batman to save you now." Croc laughed darkly and licked his lips.

"I don't need Batman to deal with _you_." Robin spat again at him. He dashed forward. As he ran, he pulled out one of his telescopic bo staffs and extended it fully. He would have to be faster than Croc and make sure he didn't get caught. Killer Crocs vastly superior strength would probably kill the caped crusader if he got too many hits in.

With a battle cry, Robin ducked in low beneath Croc's extending arms and slammed the butt of the staff into his stomach. Croc grunted and slammed his arms down once more, only to find that Robin had slipped around behind the monstrous man. Quicker than Croc could react, Robin slammed his staff into the back of the knees of the villain, bending the weapon but sending his foe to the ground with a grunt. He took the damaged weapon in a firm, sword-like two handed grip and brought it up over his head, intending to knock Croc out right then and there.

Another shot and the staff was jolted out of his hands.

Croc rolled to his side, sending Robin tumbling to the ground. Thinking quickly, Robin pulled out several smoke bombs and threw them around the area. Without the sniper's cover, this should be easier.

A deep sniffing sound filled his ears, followed by Killer Croc's deep laughter.

"You tink a lil' smoke is gonna save you from me eatin' you, boy?" The Cajun killer laughed again.

Robin snuck through the smoke until he saw the dark form of his form of his opponent. As quietly as he could, the caped crusader pulled out two explosive discs and a flashbang-type disc. He had to overwhelm his foe's other senses if he was gonna knock him out. He dashed forward when he saw Croc turn around.

A fist came flying out of the smoke and crashed into Robins' head.

Robin bounced twice across the ground before he caught himself and rolled up into a fighting stance. The smoke was beginning to clear away, leaving Killer Croc and…

" _Cheetah."_ Robin said through clenched teeth. _This is getting better and better by the minute._ _At least the sniper can't see me through them._

"Do us a favor, kid, and die quietly." Cheetah purred.

Robin palmed several birdarangs and growled at them. "Never."

* * *

 **On the other side of town, two blocks from Cyborg…**

"Rob is gonna be _so_ pissed!" Seemore yelled. "We got his bike blown up!"

Jinx rolled her eyes at her companion as they huddled behind a dumpster to avoid the incoming blaster fire.

"I don't think he's gonna care at this point!" She shouted back as she darted around the makeshift shelter long enough to send a pink shockwave of hex magic at their assailants. Several toppled to the ground in pieces, but were immediately replaced. Jinx barely had the time to duck back behind the dumpster before the air filled with more death.

"Who the heck are these guys?" Seemore asked her before he popped up and swept his own laser across a half dozen of their opponents. He paused only a moment to inspect the odd orangish-gold robots that looked suspiciously like Cyborg. He ducked back down just in time to avoid having his head blown off.

"I'm not entirely sure, but the only person I know of with an obsession with robots and Cyborg is Brother Blood." Jinx shook her head. "This whole city has gone to shit in a matter of minutes."

"Call KF!"

Jinx shook her head once more. "Can't, jamming signal. I could probably rewire the communicator and bolster the signal, but we're under too much fire."

A crunching sound drew their attention as more Blood-bots dropped from the rooftops around them. With a growl, Jinx dashed forward and blasted each one with hex magic. The robots fell apart before her, but more continued to drop around them. Seemore switched to a concentrated laser and cut straight through several bots like a hot knife through butter. An explosion from the rear decimated their cover, sending both teens tumbling into the piles of spare parts. Coughing up smoke, Jinx and Seemore looked up to find even more Blood-bots lining the rooftops, their sonic cannons preparing to fire. Both ends of the alley were filled with the damned things as well.

They were trapped.

* * *

 **Roughly twenty minutes before…**

"Uggghhhh…." Beast Boy groaned, his sense aching from whatever hit him. He groggily opened one eye and found that he wasn't in the mall anymore. Opening his other eye, he looked around. He was in an abandoned warehouse, tied to a chair. He scoffed.

"Yeah, like this will hold _me._ "

"Oh, I think it _will_." A voice echoed out of the dark.

Beast Boy jerked his head up towards the sound and saw a man in black body armor standing before him, his one eyed black and orange mask staring dead at him.

"Slade." The changeling growled.

"Astute as always, Beast Boy." Slade said coldy.

"What the heck do you want with us now?!"

"It's nothing personal, child. It's just business now." Slade paced around the green teen in front of him, watching the boy struggle. "You won't escape. The outside of that looks like rope, but underneath it is a cable that only those with strength like Superman could break. I brought them along just for you, boy."

"Why the heck aren't my powers working?" Beast Boy licked his lips nervously.

"Because of this interesting little drug I found that suppresses metagenes. You're as human as my companions are."

As Beast Boy's face screwed up in confusion, he noticed two people step out into the light. One of them was an older man with bright red hair, a ruby tipped cane, and big glasses. The other one was younger, probably early twenties, with a liberty-spike-ish hairdo and what appeared to be a convicts uniform on.

"Mad Mod? Punk Rocket?"

"That's right, my duckie." Mad Mod twirled his cane in his hand. "Me and the boy here were invited along to assist Slade should anything happen."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow at the assassin. "C-ranks, Slade? Are you desperate for help?"

"Good help _is_ hard to find." Slade glared at him. "You would know, you've been a thorn in my side for years now. I don't know why I kept overlooking you."

"Probably because I'm too awesome to get rid of."

Slade stared at him for a long and quiet moment before letting out a little laugh. "I suppose in a way, you are correct."

Beast Boy's eyes bugged out. "I am?"

"Of course, boy. You are awesome at ruining plans."

The changeling falter and Mad Mod laughed. "Lookit, he actually did something funny! He was quiet!"

Slade looked at the older British man for a moment, then nodded. "His silence is indeed amusing. Mostly because he knows I'm right."

Beast Boy found his voice after that comment. "If I'm so good at ruining plans, then what makes you think I won't ruin this one?"

Slade backhanded him. "Easy, boy. Because I have already won."

Spitting out a tooth, Beast Boy glared up at him. "Yeah right. The other Titans will come. You and I both know it."

Slade's voice held much humor as he backhanded the changeling again. "Oh, I doubt that. I sent some more associates of mine to deal with them. Each of them has a lovely assortment of villains to keep them company while they die."

He watched Beast Boys' head rise up and decided to drop the next bomb. " _Especially_ Raven."

Beast Boy stared hard at the assassin now as he growled viciously. "Don't you dare touch Raven! I'll kill you!"

"Oh, my dear boy, _I_ am not going to touch Raven." Slade shook his head. "But I'm quite sure the clown keeping her company _will_."

"Clown?" Beast Boy's face scrunched up then dropped in fear as he screeched at Slade. " _Clown?! You sent the Joker after her?!"_

Again with the humorous tone. "Yes. Along with Scarecrow and Doctor Light."

Beast Boy stared at him. "You're really out to kill us this time."

"Of course, you annoying boy." Slade growled. "First you _hero's_ rob me of my apprentice Robin. Then _you_ talk Terra into betraying me and _killing_ me. The whole Trigon business made me decide to leave you alone for a time, but my employer wants you gone. So I sent in my _first_ apprentice and you DAMN NEAR KILLED HER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TIME AND MONEY I SPENT IN TRAINING HER?"

Slade had shouted this last bit in Beast Boy's face, making the changeling recoil. "Dude, it's not my fault you're crazy enough to do that to your daughter!"

The assassin pulled back, his good eye wide as he hissed at his captive. "How did you know that?!"

"Screw you Slade."

The armored man stared at the boy for a while longer before he spoke quietly. "Tell me, Beast Boy, how was _Raven's_ family reunion?"

"How…how did you know about that?" Beast Boy asked.

"My dear boy, who do you think sent them there?" Slade sneered.

"How could you have…"

The assassin interrupted him. "I shouldn't tell you, but you aren't leaving here alive. It turns out that the males in Raven's family tend to be a bit _vindictive_. The fellows you met were Trigon's primary agents up until Raven's birthday, where he cast them aside like the tools they are. Needless to say, they were _quite_ upset. So after Trigon betrayed me, they released me from my prison in hell, gave me the directions to the remnants of Raven's soul, and gave me the ring of Azar they picked up while razing Azarath. In return, I would provide them with an ample opportunity in the future to 'revive' Trigon, by which I mean they would drain him of his remaining power and use it to fuel their own strength."

Slade paused then shook his head. "And then _you_ , of all people, killed three of them."

"That's the bugga' lad." Mad Mod shook his head. "'Ere we went and spent months running around the globe knockin' off super heroes and _you_ killed three demons that weren't even there for you. Damned wanker."

"Hold on…you planned all this from the start? Letting all our villains out to keep the Titans busy, killing Green Arrow and Vixen, sending the demons, and now this?"

"Precisely."

Beast Boy gaped at him. "Why?"

Slade shook his head slowly. "I think that's enough for you. My employer didn't hire me to tell secrets to dead children."

Beast Boy gulped as Slade pulled out his signature pistol and tossed it to Mad Mod. The British man looked at the gun in his hands, then at his employer.

"'Ere now, wot's this for?" He asked.

"Kill him."

Mad Mod immediately shook his head. "I don't kill kids. It ain't right."

Slade slowly turned his head towards the older villain and stared at him hard. "Mod. Kill Beast Boy."

"I ain't doin' it."

Slade took the gun from Mad Mod and stared at it for a moment.

Then he promptly shot his former employee in the chest three times. As Mad Mod toppled over, Punk Rocket started yelling.

"Granda'! Slade, you damned wanker! I'll kill you with the sounds of chaos!" The boy ripped his guitar from his back and immediately belted out a shockwave. Slade rolled to the side, but the shockwave hit Beast Boy head on and sent his chair catapulting across the room. The poor changeling hit his head twice on the way over, but remained conscious enough for what happened next.

Punk Rocket whirled around to blast at Slade again, but the assassin was standing calmly in front of him, both hands behind his back. Snarling, Rocket started wailing on his guitar.

Only for nothing to happen.

He looked down at his instrument in confusion, then back at his opponent. Slade held up a little box with a switch. Punk Rocket looked at in disbelief, realized it was messing with his guitar. He only had time for a since word before Slade shot him in the head.

"Bugger."

Beast Boy could only watch in horror as Slade approached him. Wordlessly, the assassin pulled the chair back up into a sitting position.

Slade placed the gun barrel to the green teens' head. "Your turn."

* * *

 **During the same time as Beast Boys' scene…**

A sharp pain from her head jolted Raven awake. With a yelp, the sorceress opened her eyes and looked around. When she came face to face with a man that had white facepaint on, she recoiled. She tried to blast him backwards, but nothing happened.

She scrunched her face and forced herself to concentrate. When nothing happened again, she opened her eyes. "My powers…."

"Hmm…looks like Slade was right. It _does_ work on her." A voice spoke up from her left. Raven glanced that way and found her old foe Doctor Light casually leaning against the wall. She turned her head back to the man who was staring at her intently.

"What are you looking at, clown?" She spat.

A sadistic smile split across his face. "I was just thinking, girlie. I _hate_ goth kids. They're always so gloomy, so dark and depressing…"

He whipped out a knife and held it to her cheek. "Maybe this will make you smile, eh?"

Raven glanced at the knife against her face, then turned her gaze back to the man in front of her. Looking at him closer, realization dawned on her when she noted the purple suit and green hair.

"You're the Joker…" She choked out.

"Ding ding ding! We haaave a winner!" Joker jumped back and started clapping. "Congratulations, you've won a new car!"

"Huh?"

"Mr. Joker, I do believe we're on a schedule." A voice spoke from the right. Raven looked over and found a man in brown and tan clothes with what appeared to be a cloth sack on his head.

"Keep your pants on, Crane, the fun is just starting!" Joker waved his knife at the man. "Besides, I brought along some of my boys to keep out nosy kids that snuck in without a ticket."

"I noticed. How many did you bring? Fifty?"

Joker shrugged. "Eh, who knows? I just told them to get in the van."

As the two men spoke, Raven slowly began to inch herself backwards, intending to flee through a nearby door as soon as the opportunity rose. A strange whining noise filled the air to her left and she turned to find Doctor Light pointing his powered up glove at her.

"By all means, Raven, step into the light." He sneered.

A knife appeared under his throat and the villain reared back in surprise as the Joker pinned him to a wall.

"The kid is _mine_ , Light." The clown prince spat. "Slade paid me to come here all the way from Gotham to kill a kid or two, and I'm going to do it."

He paused in thought before stepping away, knife tapping against his cheek. "Come to think about it, there wasn't any dental in my work contract. Sneaky bastard."

Doctor Light cast a bewildered look at the third man, who shook his head. The older villain turned back to the Joker, who was rambling about needing his benefits. He tentatively interrupted the madman. "Joker, we should get back to business."

The clown prince paused, then another smile split his face. "You're quite right, Doctor Light. I need some music though. Crane, make her sing."

Wordlessly, the Sack-man approached Raven, who backed against the wall and tried to stand. Chuckling to himself, he held up his hand at her. Something puffed from it and another realization struck Raven.

This was Scarecrow, one of Batman's villains. The man who used fear gas.

As the gas flooded through her system, she bit back a scream as the men in front of her began to twist horribly, their faces becoming screaming parodies of madness, black ichor oozing from their every orifice as their bodies twisted into gaunt, skeletal abominations with a corpse-like pallor. She screamed and ran.

" **NoW nOw, GiRliE, dOn'T rUn! ThE fUn Is JuSt StArTiNg!"** Joker laughed madly as he sprinted after her. Almost casually, Doctor Light and Scarecrow followed them out of the room and into a hallway, where they found the madman beating on a door, screaming obscenities.

Inside, Raven curled up behind a couch, whimpering to herself. The walls of the room were oozing ichor now, the faces of the dead pulsating from the black ooze, whispering to her.

 _ **You killed us, Raven! You killed the whole world! Join us! Come, embrace the darkness!**_

The couch sprouted a dozen legs and turned to her, its cushions opening to show her a gaping and slobbering maw of bloody teeth, armless hands dangling from the roof of its mouth reaching out for her. She screamed and crawled away from the monstrosity, only to come face to face with a wriggling mass as a table dissipated into hundreds of centipedes, all a luscious shade of bloody red. More black ichor flowed from their wake as they crawled onto her.

Screaming again, Raven flung them from her and backed into a corner. The sound of the door being blasted open only caught her attention because of the large object that slammed into the wall near her. Immediately after it hit the ground, dozens of glowing yellow eyes opened upon the fallen door and it split apart into dozens of insectile monstrosities that swarmed over her.

" _GARFIELD!"_ She screamed, beating the monsters off of her.

A horrid, psychotic laughter filled the air and she tore her gaze up towards an enormous purple man that sprouted several heads all over his body, each one laughing madly as ichor oozed from their eyes and mouths. A gaping mouth with wickedly jagged teeth opened up in the center of the nightmarish creature, drool oozing down its body as it got closer. She screamed once more.

The Joker paused and inhaled deeply before turning to his comrades. "You know boys, I _love_ this type of music. It really soothes the soul. It's so relaxing, it makes me think of a really good joke."

Scarecrow and Doctor Light looked at each other before shrugging. The Joker grinned sadistically once more and turned back to Raven. "Don't worry, girlie, you'll like this one too. It's a _killer._ "

He pulled a crowbar from underneath his jacket and raised it in the air. His smile split his face as he laughed.

" _Knock knock!"_

* * *

 ** _I'll take this moment to clarify the timeline:  
_**

 ** _Beast Boy and Raven's scenes end after Cyborg gets frozen, during the time that Robin and Starfire split to fight with their villains and as Jinx and Seemore are assaulted._**

 ** _As for that last scene...yeah, I'm a damned monster._**


	15. How (Not) To Kill A Titan

**_Heeeellllloooo readers! I know you lot have been dying for this chapter! I'm really sorry it took so long to get it to you, but I've been out of town for work and the place I was staying had no internet!_**

 ** _I felt like a caveman._**

 ** _Aaannnyyyyways, things are getting spicy now! I REALLY enjoyed writing this chapter too and ya'lls reviews fueled my fire like raw potassium on water!_**

 ** _Tsubaki87- Please, rant all you like lol. Your questions will answered and I'm perfectly fine being yelled at until every one gets their answers. Don't worry, I'm not George R.R. Martin in disguise._**

 ** _InsanityDeath- Close, my friend, but no cigar. Read to find out!_**

 ** _Casador x-Read and find out! :3 Hope you don't hate it too much._**

 ** _Allen Blaster- I'm some kind of f**ked up, I know._**

 ** _RPGPersona- Their deaths were mentioned in the chapter where Beast Boy told the Doom Patrol was pregnant (the actual call, not the visit). As for your other question, nope. Also, the employer will be address within a few chapters._**

 ** _Stormhawk fan SHhype- No caped crusaders here but Robin, sorry._**

 ** _Latisha McPeanuts- Here's the chapter you wanted! It's even far longer than any other chapter lol. Hope you enjoy it! :D_**

 ** _Toto01- The first time I read you 'blessings from Thor' comment, I actually fell out of my chair laughing and whacked my head on my dresser. Please refrain from indirectly trying to kill me. :P_**

 ** _Bluedog197- Truthfully speaking, when I wrote all of it I didn't have the Suicide Squad in mind at all. They were just the villains that came to mind the easiest because I knew the enough about them to make them all into a plausible team. Which...still technically makes them the Suicide Squad, I suppose. :/ oh well lol. If you thought the last chapter was crazy, wait til you read this one!_**

 ** _Shugokage- Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!_**

 ** _QuinSFA- Thank you. I honestly don't think my writing is up to the caliber of BlueDevil or BeautifulPurpleFlame, but I'm trying to get better at it. Iffen you like, try some of my other stories! :D_**

 ** _And with that, my dear reviewers, I bid thee adieu. R &R, please and thank you!_**

* * *

 _GARFIELD!_

 _His eyes snapped open and he stared at the bewildered man in front of him. The man was looking back and forth between the metal object in his hand and him. He recognized the object as a gun and, judging from the smell of gunpowder in the air and the heat emanating from the barrel, it had been shot._

 _He had been shot._

 _He merely growled as the bullet was pushed out of his skull by his regenerative powers. He had no time for this pathetic hunter. A hunter who needed tricks and traps and couldn't use his own fangs and claws to kill was worthless. He should kill this weakling before going to find his mate._

 _His mate had called for her Beast and he would answer._

 _His body rippled as he assumed his skin. The smaller, lither form had redeeming qualities, but he preferred his larger, more muscular body. It was built for killing, whereas the smaller was built for caring for his mate. It was acceptable to the Beast. His mate was to be handled with care, for she carried his cub._

 _She needed him and these strange vines held him in place._

 _With a snarl he shifted to something much, much smaller and slipped from between the vines. Leaping forward, he resumed his natural form only to be greeted by a hail of gunfire. The weakling had apparently become frightened at seeing an apex predator and opted to flee in fear._

 _How pathetic._

 _The Beast howled in fury as the bullets bit into his flesh, though his healing abilities pushed them back out within seconds. The man, in his panic, tripped over the bodies of his two deceased packmates._

 _No…one still lived. The elder. He was stronger than he looked. Either way, the Beast did not care._

 _His mate needed him._

 _There was a deep pain blossoming in his side now and the Beast snarled as he whirled around. There was another of the weak hunters' pack. A small female, wearing armor like the packleader, was terrified out of her mind as she slashed into the Beast's side with a sword. He lashed out at her, sending her tumbling away. He pounced and pinned her to the ground. She struggled, but was far too weak to resist the Beasts' grip._

 _How pathetic. She would never be an Alpha like his mate._

 _Disinterested in this weakling, the Beast pulled her up and threw her to the side. She hit a pillar rather hard, and then struck the ground even harder. She did not rise again._

 _The man had risen at this point and was making some very aggressive noises. It seems that the Beasts' injuring of his cub had offended him. The man ran to the back of the room they were in and retrieved a larger gun from a box. The Beast snorted contemptuously._

 _This weakling had no claws or fangs to fight with. He should never have been a pack leader if he could not fight on his own._

 _The man opened fire on the Beast, who simply leapt straight up into the rafters of the room. He bounded from rafter to rafter, dodging the weapon's projectiles. It's not that they would cause any lasting harm, but too many might be an inconvenience should they hit a joint. Limited mobility had always infuriated the Beast, after all._

 _The Beast disappeared into a shadow near the ceiling and the man ran up a set of stairs, sweeping his weapon before him. He was yelling something at the Beast, but he cared not what the weak hunter had to say._

 _His mate was calling him. He needed to end this now._

 _Silently, like a great hunting cat, the Beast moved ever closer to his prey. When he had judged himself to be close enough, the leapt into the air._

 _Like one of the great hunting owls, he fell in absolute silence._

 _The man had no idea what hit him._

 _And the sounds of his screams as the Beast ripped him apart were absolutely delicious to the hunter._

* * *

Never before had Starfire ever faced an opponent so much more powerful than herself. True, there were villains that held an upper hand, but it was never a bout of strength or firepower. This man, this Atomic Skull, was truly out of her league.

Not that that was going to stop her from defeating him.

She pulled herself from the rubble of the building she had been thrown into, her left arm hanging limp at her side. There was blood hindering her right eye, coming from a gash from something metallic she had struck on her way into the wall. She was panting heavily and was already very tired.

She could hear him laughing outside, mocking her once more. Her anger flared and she flew out at sound barrier breaking speeds.

The shockwave from her flight blasted much rubble from her launch site and some of the larger piece struck the barely intact walls. With a few loud cracks and a groan, the building began to topple over.

Right onto Atomic Skull.

High up in the air, she watched it drop onto the villain. She heard him yell, and then the sound of the collapsing building filled her ears.

When the sounds had stopped and the smoke had cleared, Starfire drifted a bit closer down. A purple blast of energy surged out of the rubble and Atomic Skull rose from the debris. He sneered at the alien princess floating above him.

"Is that all you have, _princess?_ "

* * *

The crack of a rifle sounded off in the distance and Robin knew he couldn't dodge this one. The fresh, explosive pain in his right leg attested to that.

Several feet away, Killer Croc and Cheetah stood staring at him haughtily.

"Looks like this hunt is over." Croc laughed.

Robin staggered up, the pain in his leg threatening to overwhelm his senses. He stared defiantly at his attackers as he pulled out two strange looking birdarangs and slammed them together. There was a clicking noise and suddenly he held a red-bladed sword in his hands.

" _Never!"_ He spat.

* * *

"Greetings Titans! It is I, Control Freak! I've come here to challenge you Beast Boy to….huh?"

Control Freak looked around the Titan Tower common room. Nobody was there. In fact, it looked like everyone had left not too long ago, since the alarm lights were still flashing and the main computer had camera feeds pulled up.

The fat man wandered over to the computer and pressed a few buttons. The camera feeds cycled, showing him that Jinx and Seemore were pinned down behind a dumpster by robots that looked like Cyborg. The next feed showed Cyborg standing frozen solid in the mall food court, with Harley Quin beating what appeared to be a dead body with a baseball bat. Captain Cold was standing nearby talking to someone on a communicator. Another video was of Starfire brawling with some weird dude with a flaming skull for a head. Up next was Robin in the distance, swinging his birdarangasword (or whatever he called it) at…Cheetah and Killer Croc?

"What the heck is going on?" Eugene asked out loud as he scratched his head. "Where's Beast Boy and Raven?"

A little blinking light on the screen drew his attention and he clicked on it. A warning icon burst onto the screen, reading:

 **Warning! Exterior Security Systems Offline! Detection Systems Registering Immanent Missile Strike, ETA 30 Seconds!**

Slowly, Control Freak looked up from the screen and out the front window. There was definitely a trio of missiles headed right at the tower.

"Looks like they came from out in the desert." He said to himself as he whipped out his remote and pointed it at the television. With a single press of a button, he brought it to life. He then repeated the process with the computer screen and another screen that was mounted in the wall. He directed them to the outside of the building. Once there, they leapt out at the missiles.

Control Freak smiled to himself as the explosive ordinance disappeared into the screens of his unique creations. Silently, the devices fell to the ground far below.

"What, did you think I'd do something heroic like give my life to save the tower or something?" He snorts as he looks at you in annoyance. "Sending them to another dimension was BRILLIANT, as was expected of me, Control Freak!"

He chuckled to himself as he ran off to find another computer in the tower. He had friends to save.

* * *

 _That was immensely satisfying, the Beast concluded._

 _Tearing apart the weak Alpha of such a weak pack was barely a challenge, but since this particular Alpha had caused his pack problems many times in the past it was sweet revenge._

 _Normally, the Beast didn't care about something petty like revenge…but he was known to make exceptions. The Alpha known as Adonis came to mind._

 _He shook his head of these distracting thoughts. His mate needed him._

 _The Beast leapt up into the rafters of the building and burst through the roof. He leapt up onto the highest peak and released a howl so overwhelmingly fierce that it reverberated throughout the city for miles. All manner of beasts, tame and feral, howled and cried in fear out as the apex predator announced his hunt._

 _His hunting cry still echoing, the Beast leapt for the nearest building. As he impacted the wall, he dug his claws in and began to climb up. He needed to get higher and work his way across the tops of this concrete jungle. He needed to find his mates' scent._

 _His mate needed him. He must find her._

 _He reached the peak of the building and inhaled deeply._

 _There, a familiar scent._

 _His packmate, the metal one. He was…cold? It was not the time for the long sleep, so why was his packmate cold?_

 _He inhaled once more. His packmate was close enough to deter his search. He howled once more._

 _The hunt was on._

* * *

Somehow, they had managed to get blow a hole through the lines of Blood-bots. Somehow, they had managed to get away. And somehow, Jinx had taken a hit to her lower back.

She clung to Seemore's back, his hands tucked up under the legs as he piggy backed her away from the robots. She kept her arms firmly around his neck, but still managed to retaliate. Every robot that stepped out in front of them was instantly decimated by her hex magic, but she and her impromptu mount were tiring fast. Neither of them was built for long term combat.

"Seymour," Jinx panted, "Drop me and get out of here."

"Nuh huh, Jinxy, no way that's happenin'!" He huffed as he took a sharp right into an alleyway. He barreled through the trashcans, scattering debris everywhere and scaring several stray cats.

"Damnit Seymour!"

"Shaddup Jen!" He shouted. Hearing her real name immediately shushed Jinx. them. For a while they worked in silence, running from block to block, a mobile humanoid turret of hexic magic and lasers.

But Seemore was getting really tired and his battery was getting low. He had less than 15% percent left, which was bad. His offensive weaponry would set itself to offline very soon and then they were in trouble.

"Seymour…" Jinx said quietly as they stopped in front of a store with several large televisions in the main window. He nodded and set her down. She almost immediately collapsed onto the ground, followed by her heavily panting friend.

"You need to lay off the bonbons, Jen." He joked.

"I can't help it, Wally got me started on them." She chuckled and leaned against the wall below the display.

The cyclops nodded amusedly. "He been treating you good? We ain't actually talked much in a while…"

"Yeah, he has." Jinx nodded, her eyes distant. "Seemore…I'm sorry I left you all high and dry like that. I'm sorry what the others did to you after I left too."

He immediately shook his head. "I never held it against ya. Things were fun while they lasted. Joining the Titans was even better. I should have jumped ship to them years ago."

The pink haired girl laughed. "Yeah, things get pretty hectic. Watching Raven and Beast Boy is probably the most amusing thing I've ever seen. And Raven is _totally_ jealous that her cat spends time with me!"

Despite their predicament, this sent both teens into fits of laughter for several minutes. Fortunately their merriment was subdued by the time the sound of stomping metallic boots came from around the corner.

"Jen…I don't think I can carry you again. I'm running out of juice…literally."

Jinx nodded. "It's alright Seymour."

She struggled to her feet, as did her companion. They placed their backs to each other's (with more than a little wincing on Jinx's part) and took a combative stance. They weren't going down without a fight.

Within seconds they were surrounded on three sides by the robots, all of which held their mockery sonic cannons pointed at the duo. The sound of cannons powering up filled the air and just as they began to glow, something happened.

And by something, I mean Control Freak popped his head out of the televisions and yanked Jinx and Seemore inside. "Yoink!"

The robots destroyed each other in a maelstrom of sonic energy.

* * *

"Did you hear that?"

Harley looked away from inspecting the frozen teen before her. "Hear what?"

Captain Cold looked around. "The howling. Like…hell, I don't know."

The jester girl tilted her head from side to side, looking around. When she spotted absolutely nothing, she turned back to her companion and froze.

Standing behind Captain Cold was a towering green monster that looked like it was all teeth and claws. It made not a sound, but it was staring hard at the man before it. It sniffed him quietly. Harley began to back away in horror, much to Cold's confusion.

"Harley? Where are you going?" He asked, holding his freezing ray up and looking around once more. He turned and met a wall of green fur. His gaze followed it up to its snarling face. He had no time to scream before the Beast snatched him up by his neck and shook him like a ragdoll.

There was an audible snapping sound and Cold's body became limp. The Beast threw him at Harley, who dodged to the side. She looked down and found her companions head tilted at a very odd angle.

His neck broken, Captain Cold had died without a fight.

* * *

 _The Beast looked down at the little blonde female before him. She reeked of madness and fear. Growling, he leaned down to face level with her. She backed into a wall, trembling. He savored her terrified scent. It was delicious._

 _But he had not the time to deal with semi-rabid female. His packmate needed him._

 _Snorting dismissively, he lumbered over to his frozen packmate. Behind him, the girl scrambled out the door, tripping over the corpse of the strangely cold Alpha male he had slain. This alpha had the scent of a pack about him, but they were nowhere nearby. They might come to avenge their packleader, but it was something he'd deal with later._

 _He sniffed the ice-encased man before him. His scent was very faint and his heartbeat was fading fast. The Beast snarled and began to pound on the ice with both fists._

 _On the first strike, the ice groaned._

 _On the second strike, it began to crack._

 _On the third strike, it cracked from top to bottom._

 _On the fourth strike, it shattered like glass._

 _His packmate toppled to the floor. The Beast sniffed him, his primitive mind trying to remember what his friend did to restore strength. The Beast closed his eyes and thought hard. The image of a spark came to his mind and memories suddenly flooded upon him. His eyes snapped open and he snatched up the frozen metal man. Throwing him over his shoulder, the Beast shuffled over towards a thing called a counter and hopped over it. Once on the other side, he set his companion down to one side and began to rip apart the large metal machines there. He tossed the pieces to the other side until he caused a spark from a hole in the wall. He glared at it. There, another spark! He had successfully damaged something that produced 'electricity', as his other form called it._

 _The Beast grabbed his friend and thrust him upon the sparking object._

 _The frozen mans' metal skin immediately flashed several colors as the electricity surged through him. His one unnatural eye flared with life and he inhaled deeply. This was followed by collapsing into the waiting arms of the Beast. The metal man looked up into the eyes of his packleader and spoke only two words._

" _Raven. Carnival."_

 _The Beast set his comrade to the side to rest and leapt upon the counter. He inhaled deeply before releasing another booming howl._

 _The hunt continues._

* * *

"That's the third time I've heard that howl and it's _really_ creeping me out." Jinx said as she shuddered beneath the burn cream Seemore was applying to her back. It wasn't really what she needed on the wound from the sonic cannon, but it helped with the pain a little bit.

Seemore mumbled something about monster movies as Control Freak peeked out of the window of the small pharmacy they were hiding in.

"Control Freak, as grateful as I am to you for saving us, we really need to get back out there and help the others. Beast Boy and Raven are still held captive and I can't raise the others on the communicator." Jinx said several minutes later.

Control Freak held his finger up to his mouth. "Shhh!"

Jinx glared at him and opened her mouth to reply when Seemore covered it. She turned to glare at him and saw him staring intently out the window. Something shuffled into view. Something huge, green, and covered in blood.

It paused in front of the window and turned in their direction. Through the glass, they could see how feral Beast Boy had become. It sniffed around the doorframe before letting out a low growl. It knew they were in there and knew that they were afraid. It stopped growling and raised an arm to point away from them.

It pointed in the direction of Starfire's battle.

They nodded solemnly and the Beast leapt straight up the building.

* * *

 **Several minutes later…**

"This is boring." Killer Croc complained again.

Ever since Robin had been shot in the leg, he had simply rolled around to avoid them as he swung his sword. Croc still took a couple of good hits, but it wasn't permanent damage at all. He could still fight.

Cheetah too looked bored. She couldn't chase the agile little boy around anymore, so she had rapidly lost interest in the fight.

"Just kill him already, scaredy cat." A voice came from the communicator at her hip.

Cheetah turned and gave Deadshot the bird. She heard his chuckle over the device and rolled her eyes.

"Croc, you can have him. He's no fun anymore." She said as she walked away. But Croc didn't move a single muscle. When she turned she found him staring in the snipers' direction, his eyes narrow and his nostrils flared.

"Croc, what is it?" She asked as she eyeballed Robin slowly limping away. He wouldn't make it far on that leg, not with all the blood he'd lost, but she still needed to kill him.

"Sometin's coming, belle." The Cajun killer growled. "Sometin' big…"

Before Cheetah could ask, the sound of gunfire filled the air, along with screaming. The sound came from across the clearing and from her communicator, indicating that Deadshot was under attack.

"Shouldn't we…" She started to ask, only for a sudden silence to swallow her words.

Killer Croc shifted his stance, making it openly aggressive and ready to grapple whatever came. His scales rippled in anticipation and saliva oozed from his reptilian jaws. He loved a good fight almost as much as he loved fresh meat. The chance to get both in one go was too good to be true.

"Get ready, belle. Da fun is about to start." His reptilian growl filled the air as he licked his lips in anticipation.

"Fun?"

She most certainly didn't like the answer as a ten foot all monstrosity dropped down in front of them with a heavy thud. The hairy and green beast carried the mangled corpse of their former comrade in his jaws, blood and gore thickly matted in his fur. The Beast growled at them.

"Mais, jamais d'la vie! Qui C'est q'ca?!" Croc exclaimed, his eyes growing wide. This bestial man was far bigger than him and he recognized it as an apex predator.

But he too was such a predator and this one was trespassing on his hunt.

He roared and launched himself at the beast before him. The Beast dropped the corpse and surge forward as well, locking his clawed hands with Croc's own. They snarled and growled at each other as they pushed against one another, trying to break their opponent. Croc began to lean back, unable to match the larger creatures' strength. The Beast snarled once more and snapped his head forward to rip Croc's throat out.

Just in the nick of time did the reptilian man snatch his torso back. The Beasts' fangs missed by a hairsbreath. Croc snapped his head forward and crushed the Beasts' nose. Now even angrier, the Beast surged forward even harder, determined to snap his opponents' spine.

But he forgot about Cheetah.

With a battlecry of her own, the feline woman leapt upon the Beasts' back and began lacerating him with her wickedly sharp claws. The Beast howled in pain, then shifted his stance. Before Croc could comprehend, the Beast grasped his hands firmly and jerked to the side. Killer Croc was sent bouncing across the ground from the Beasts' throw. He jumped to his feet to find that his opponent had reached down and up his back to grab Cheetah by the tail. She yelped as he yanked her hard off of him.

Not relinquishing his grip, he swung her around three times before slamming her hard into the ground. There was a sickening snapping of bones and the feline woman cried out in pain. The Beast twisted his wrist a little before jerking on her once more. Up and over him she went before slamming into the ground again. He did this twice more, Cheetah's cries of pain and the sound of her breaking bones echoing as loudly as his snarling.

Croc found his opening as the Beast jerked her up once more and charged. He hit the Beast dead on and latched his powerful jaws onto the larger predators' shoulder as he barreled him over. The Beast howled in pain, releasing his grip and sending Cheetah flying. Blood filled Crocs' mouth, sending him into a frenzy as he thrashed his body. His fists pummeled the Beasts' chest as his clawed feet shredded his legs.

With a growl, the Beast brought his hands up and boxed Crocs' ears. The stunned reptilian lost his grip with his jaws and staggered backwards, only for the Beast to backhand him. The blow sent him reeling and he dropped to the ground, his jaw screaming in pain. The blow had dislocated it and knocked several teeth out. A heavy foot crushed him into the ground and a large hand found the back of his head. Despite his flailing, Croc's head was repeatedly bashed into the ground. Within moments, his face was pouring blood.

But this didn't satisfy the Beast.

With a roar, the apex predator lifted his opponent straight up off the ground and threw him across the field. Croc hit the ground with a crunch as his left arm shattered. He rolled onto his back, groaning, only to find the Beast in the air above him. With a savage snarl, the Beast landed on his chest, breaking ribs and relieving the reptilian man of any air left in his lungs. He raised both fists into the air and began to pound relentlessly on his fallen opponent.

"Beast Boy, stop!" A voice called out.

 _The Beast paused, his feline-like ears rotating to locate the sound. He turned and found Robin limping up, his breath as ragged as his uniform. The Beast stepped off his fallen foe and approached his packmate. The smaller male looked up at him fearlessly and the Beast approved. There was no place in his pack for weaklings and this smaller Alpha was certainly no weakling. His ability to move after being injured on his leg attested to that._

"Beast Boy, we need to get to Raven. Forget them, let's go!" Robin called out to him.

 _The Beast tilted his head and his nostrils flared. Before Robin could react, the Beast snatched him up by his cape and thundered off._

They ran only a little ways before Robin realized they were going back the opposite way.

"Beast Boy! Stop! Raven is the other way!" He protested, thrashing against his feral friend.

 _The Beast paid him no heed as he made his way towards the line of buildings. It was only when he reached them that he stopped and dropped Robin._

"What the hell, Beast Boy?! We need to-"

The Beast pointed above and behind the boy wonder. Robin turned and saw Starfire in the distance, dodging purple blasts and retaliating with her own, albeit significantly weaker, starbolts. She was injured, he could tell that much. With a heavy heart, the caped crusader turned back to his friend.

"I know Starfire is in trouble but-"

" **Go."** The Beast growled. **"Save mate."**

All of Robin's protests died on his lips. He _wanted_ to save Raven, he _had_ to help his friend. The thought of losing a cherished teammate was almost too much for him to bear.

But the thought of losing Starfire, his only light in this dark world, was far, far more terrifying.

As the Beast turned away, Robin could only whisper three words.

"Thank you, packleader."

* * *

Satisfied his packmate was going to save his own mate, the Beast thundered back down to where he had defeated the strange reptile man. Said reptilian had drug his way over to the feline woman and was speaking to her softly.

"Fait pas une esquandal, belle." He glanced up at the Beast. "Let ol' Croc see if we can live tru dis."

He managed to drag himself up onto his knees, gasping the whole time. Blood dripped from his nostrils, his right eye, and his mouth as he did so. The Beast towered over him now, gazing down at the smaller Alpha. Killer Croc looked up at the superior apex predator and did the only thing he could think of that _might_ not get him killed.

He bared his throat.

The Beast immediately brought his face in close to Crocs and growled deeply. The reptilian man didn't move, for to do so would be an act of defiance. He held his breath and prayed to whatever gods would listen.

After a long moment, he felt a claw run down his face, leaving a deep gash. He made no sound as it traced from temple to jawline in a jagged arc. When the cutting digit moved away, he opened his eyes to find the Beast had turned to repeat the procedure on Cheetah. She shied away at first, only holding still when Croc motioned for her to be still. The claw hurt her far more than it hurt him, but she would live. Killer Croc stayed on his knees until the Beast left.

"What the hell was that about, Waylon?" Cheetah groaned.

"Dit mon la verite, belle, did you think ol' Croc would fail you?"

"For a moment, yeah. Now tell me why the hell he just scratched me!"

"Don't be a couyon, mon cher." Croc spat out a several teeth. "That was him letting us live, marking us so that we will never forget our defeat."

"Ca c'es bon." Cheetah said sarcastically.

A howl filled the air and both bestial beings shivered in fear.

The hunt continued on.

* * *

By all things that were holy, she hurt. She hurt so much. Every exposed inch of her had been beaten repeatedly into a blackened mass of pain-filled flesh. It was a wonder that he hadn't cracked her skull open, but she was certain she had many other shattered bones. The only thing she had covered during her beating was her stomach, praying to whatever god would listen to a half demon that the Joker didn't notice she was carrying a child.

"You know, this got boring rather quickly. You're _nothing_ like the last person I beat with a crowbar." The Joker scowled. "How am I supposed to have fun if you aren't screaming?"

He looked around the room and found that Doctor Light and Scarecrow had vacated the premises. Curious about where they were, he casually set the crowbar on the desk and removed his bloody gloves. Tossing them onto Raven's limp body, he made his way out the door and to the front of the building. Once there, he found his cohorts staring out the windows.

"Say there, boys, what's cookin'? Something fun going on that I'm missing out on?" He laughed madly.

Doctor Light and Scarecrow glanced at each other, both rather unwilling to admit that the Joker's torture and beating of the teen made them sick to their stomachs. Killing someone was one thing, but _this_ …it was just mad. It was saner to openly pick a fight with Batman.

Both were too afraid of the Joker to say this though.

"There's this really freaky howling outside." Doctor Light said casually. "I was curious about it and discussing it with Mr. Crane. He attempted to contact our employer a few minutes ago and received no response. I sent a call out to Captain Cold, who also didn't respond."

Joker's green eyebrow rose. "Is that so? I do hope that Harley hasn't hurt the man, he makes the most delicious screamsicles I've ever had."

Scarecrow shrugged. "Not for me to say, Mr. Joker. You could call her, she's more likely to answer if it's you."

The Joker shrugged and whipped out his cellphone. He punched in a number and only had to wait a moment before it was answered.

"Harley, my dear, how is your little soiree going?" He asked cheerfully. Seconds later his face took a serious note. "Dead? Both of them? From what? A monster? Stop screaming, girl, and tell me what kind of monster? Huge and green? Croc wouldn't…not Croc? Bigger? Furry? What, is it some kind of mutant Furby? An _angry_ mutant Furby? That's hilarious! I want it! What? Of course I haven't seen it! I-"

Doctor Lights' gasp cut him off. The Joker turned to the older man to find his face filled with fear.

"What? Do you know what it is?" Joker snarled.

The light-based villain nodded rapidly. "It's Beast Boy, one of the other Titans. The one Slade was supposed to kill personally."

"What's this about him being huge and hairy?"

Doctor Light shook his head. "He turns into some kind of damned psychotic werewolf whenever Raven gets hurt…"

The Joker mulled this information over in his head. "How dangerous are we talking?"

"I will pick a fight with _Superman_ before pissing that thing off again." The older man said instantly. He shivered in fear before something dawned in his eyes.

"What is it now, old man?" Scarecrow asked.

"Raven is _here_." He whimpered.

"Bah!" Joker snorted. "He's got to go through Atomic Skull, Deadshot, Killer Croc, and Cheetah before he can get here. And _then_ he's got to go through the opening act!"

"Mr. Joker, I'm not sure if your men can handle this… _thing_ , if it's as bad as the doc says." Scarecrow said carefully. "I think I'll take my leave and-"

The door to the back room opened and all three men jumped in surprise. They turned as one and found Raven leaning heavily on the doorframe, four demonically glowing eyes staring them down as blood oozed down her face.

" _ **You should run."**_ She hissed. _**"My mate is coming."**_

A howl filled the air. Doctor Light and Scarecrow scrambled out a side door, leaving the Joker with the injured empath. He looked up the girl up and down, now noticing for the first time that she held her arms wrapped around her stomach.

He pulled out a knife and advanced on the girl. "You know, teen pregnancy is a terrible thing, ruining lives and whatnot. Let me help you with that."

* * *

Starfire staggered to her feet once more. By X'hal, she hurt so much. Her body couldn't take much more of this abuse. It was a miracle she was standing, truth be told. The bones in one leg had been shattered, her arm was still useless, her vision was doubled from taking too many strikes to the head, and she had run out of energy for starbolts.

But Atomic Skull had not fallen, so neither would she.

"You, princess, have taken more hits from me than most Justice Leaguers could handle. It's a good thing I'm putting you down now, or you'd be a real big problem in the future." He chuckled.

"You are wrong. You are the one who is being taken down." Starfire growled.

"Heh, you and what army?" Skull laughed again and took two steps forward. Something cracked against his head and exploded. The shockwave sent him bouncing across the ground. He jumped up onto his feet and glared at the perpetrator.

"I'm only going to say this _once_ , Atomic Skull." Robin spat. "Stay. Away. From. My. Girlfriend!"

"The Boy Blunder, huh? Thought Croc and the others were supposed to take care of you?" Skull crossed his arms.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but they had to be put down." Robin grinned as he palmed several more birdarangs.

Atomic Skull huffed and took a step forward, only to be blasted in his side by a funnel of blue energy. The radioactive man crashed into a building and went through a wall. Moments later, he reemerged furiously.

Cyborg held up his sonic cannon and pointed it at the villain. "Stay down."

"Ha! You kids think you can take me?!" Atomic Skull yelled at him. He took two steps forward once more before he was blasted back into the building by a red beam of energy. And then as he staggered back up, strange waves of something pink washed over the building. He heard the bricks crack and the supports groan above him.

He only had time to curse before the building collapsed on top of him.

Cyborg turned to the newly arrived Jinx and Seemore and high fived them. Off to the side, Control Freak eyeballed the rubble as Robin and Starfire approached. They were both supporting each other and barely standing.

"Titans, report." Robin said as he entwined his fingers within Stars'.

"Sportsmaster and Captain Cold are dead, courtesy of our angry green friend." Cyborg said grimly. "Harley Quinn got away though."

Robin nodded. "He got Deadshot too and beat the hell out of Killer Croc and Cheetah."

"We got ambushed by a freaking buttload of Brother Blood's robots." Jinx shook her head. "I'm sorry Robin, but your bike didn't make it."

"It can be rebuilt." Their team leader shrugged. "I'd take the bike getting blown to bits over you guys any day."

"What're you doing here, Control Freak? I thought you said the hero gig wasn't your thing?" Cyborg turned to the obese man, who shrugged in turn.

"I went to the tower to challenge Beast Boy to a movie quiz and found no one there. I looked on your computers and saw all this going down."

"So you decided to help out?" Robin asked.

The geek shrugged again, looking slightly bashful. "Beast Boy and Seemore are my friends. You guys are pretty cool too, so…yeah."

"For whatever purpose you have come to our aid, I thank you friend Eugene!" Starfire strode up to fat man and kissed him soundly on the cheek. He immediately turned bright red and melted on the spot, babbling something about dreams coming true. Robin's eyebrow rose while Cyborg and Seemore burst out in laughter.

Their laughter was short lived as the rubble rumbled for a moment before Atomic Skull burst out.

Cyborg scowled. "Can't you just stay down?"

"Sorry kid, I didn't get paid to take a fall." The super villain said darkly. "Now, about those sucker punches you kids keep giving me…"

He stepped forward and heard a clicking sound. He looked towards the fattest of his opponents, who was holding what appeared to be a television remote in his hand. He followed the direction the remote was pointing and found a television under his foot. It turned on and hands surged out of it to wrap around his leg.

"Motherfu-" He yelled as they dragged him into the screen. It flickered off moments later.

Control Freak turned to the awestruck others. "We need to get out of here. Radiation messes with electronics, so I don't know how long I can hold him in my remote like that. He's gonna be _seriously_ pissed when he gets out too."

* * *

One Eyed Jack had always been one of the Jokers' favorite henchmen. He understood his orders, he rarely failed, and he always made his deliveries on time. At five foot tall, the angry little Irishman had seen it all and done it all under Mr. Joker's employ, from hijacking to murder to blackmail to raiding rival gangs turf. He even littered once when Mr. Joker had lost interest in his coffee. The casual way Jack had thrown the cup at a chittering squirrel had amused the Clown Prince so greatly that he had received a bonus with his next payment. Keeping on Mr. Joker's good side wasn't actually that hard. It mostly involved saying "No sir.", "Yes sir.", and "Want some extra sauce with that, boss?".

So when the Joker had told him to round up some boys for a little gig in Jump City, One Eyed Jack had gathered fifty of his biggest and baddest boys, all mean muggin' muscle-bound monsters of men. He even pulled some strings and snagged some of the old crew from Mr. Joker's first days. Gerry Two-Fingers, Tony Tinshoes, Peggy the Knife, Frankie Foureyes, and Blastermaster Al had all shown up, bringing a handful of their best boys. Mr. Joker had said the payout was _massive_ and that if he did good work, he'd get another bonus. Jack jumped at the idea; he wanted to get a glass eye with a shamrock on it. With all these boys here, they were sure to get the job done.

And ol' One Eyed Jack ran the whole crew.

He smiled smugly to himself. This job had been too easy. At worst, they figured the Bat would show up, maybe with the bird boy in tow. At least, a quiet night. Those were far and few between, so they were grateful when nothing had happened but some gunshots in the distance. That, they knew, was that creepy merc Deadshot, the one wearing that suit that looked like scuba gear.

And then there was the screaming.

All the men present had jumped at the sound. It wasn't from inside the building they were guarding, so it startled them. The screaming had been accompanied by the sound of gunfire, then silence. Guns were loaded and hand to hand weapons brought out. It never hurt to be too cautious, as they had learned from dealing with the Bat over the years.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Frankie Foureyes and Blastermaster Al fidgeting. Frankie was running one of his serrated knives over his palm, staring at the way the metal sliced his flesh so cleanly. He licked each and every little cut, savoring the taste of his own blood.

Jack knew Foureyes was the deadliest knife thrower in Gotham, having pinned Batman to the wall three times in his career. Granted, the dark knight had always broken free but the message was clear to those that witnessed it. Don't mess with Frankie.

And most certainly don't turn your back on him.

Blastermaster Al, on the other hand, was slowly and methodically polishing the bizarre laser canon he had. It was big and bulky, kinda like a minigun, but way more deadly. It only took five seconds to warm up and once it started firing, very little survived. Jack had seen it turn a rival gang into piles of charred flesh in less than a minute. The only downside to the gun was that it had a cable that ran to an energy pack on Al's back. That was fine to Al though. Frankie always had his back.

When the howling started, the gang boss knew something was coming.

"Alright you gits, getcher arses ready!" One Eyed Jack yelled. "I won't be havin' you gobshites fiddlin' around with Mr. Joker's plans! Anything that ain't one of us get kilt!"

"Aye sir!" The men called out. Jack smiled as the men took up positions in the surrounding run down carnival. The men with guns took up positions in the back or higher up. Brawlers took front row. Heck, he even had a bazooka perched up on top of the merry-go-round. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Frankie Foureyes take a position on his left, meaning Blastermaster Al took up a position on his right. One Eyed Jack lifted his cast iron baseball bat and set it on his shoulder, his smile darkening murderously.

That glass eye was as good as his.

* * *

 _The Beast, perched upon the peak of a tall building, peered down at the pack before him. It was large, very large. There were several Alphas in the pack, most notably the small man with the iron stick, the long haired half crazed man with throwing knives, and the tall, thin man with a rather odd looking metal box on his back and a metal pipe in his hands. The Beast was contemplating his best options to attack when the wind shifted. His nostrils flared, drinking in the scent. His mate was there._

 _And she was injured._

 _All sane thoughts flew from the Beasts' mind as an unholy rage filled him. Snarling, drooling, seething with absolute madness, the Beast howled once more._

 _And his howl was answered._

* * *

The close proximity of the howl sent a shiver down the spine of every man there. Jack shifted from foot to foot nervously. Whatever the hell it was, it sound _really_ pissed. And just as he was about to order some men to go look around, there was another sound.

Another howl.

Wait, no. _Howling._

And… _yowling?_ What the heck?

A sudden growling noise behind him drew his attention. Turning quickly, he found a stray dog only a few feet away, snarling madly at him. He raised an eyebrow at the tenacity of the creature and opened his mouth to tell someone to shoot it when the sound of more growling filled the air. Turning his head, he saw dozens of stray dogs and cats, all filthy and mangy, coming from the alleys between the carnival buildings. Within minutes, his men were outnumbered five to one. The men on the roofs glanced warily around them as a chittering noise joined the growling.

 _Oh god._ Jack thought as he closed his eye and prayed. _Please, please, please don't let that be what I think it is._

Rats. He _hated_ rats.

They were smaller than him and they were _everywhere_. In the walls, in the streets, in the buildings, in the trash, in his freaking _bathroom! He HATED RATS! ALWAYS WITH THE CHITTERING AND BITING AND TINY LITTLE SOULLESS EYES AND HUGE TEETH!_

He opened his eyes and found that his prayers had been answered in the worst possible way. There weren't just a few rats.

There were _hundreds_ of rats. _Thousands_.

His whimper turned into a scream as a _monster_ dropped in front of him.

Peeking out the window, the Joker watched his men go from heavily armed and dangerous to screaming as they were ripped apart in seconds. The stray animals were bad enough. The dogs latched onto legs and pulled men down to rip them apart, the cats climbed straight up the body to attack the face and throat, and the _rats_ simply swarmed over any unlucky man they came across. Everyone was firing willy nilly, killing everything that moved.

He watched as one man dashed from the slaughter, screaming. He made it as far as the next building before a pair of mangy mutts darted out of the shadows and tripped him. They immediately set upon him, tearing this throat out and ripping his face off.

Off to the side, Blastermaster Al and Frankie Foureyes were fighting back to back, killing every animal that came in their sight. A creaking noise came from the alleyway, causing both men to glance that way. They only had time to scream before the rats surged out of the sewer grates and encased the men in a mass of frenzied, starving vermin.

And if the wild animals weren't bad enough, there was that _thing_ out there tearing the Jokers' men apart faster than his own heart was beating. He watched it pounce forward and pin a man to the ground. A twist of its massive clawed hand and the mans' head was on backwards. The beast lashed out and struck another man in the chest. The Joker could visibly see the mans' chest cave in and he dropped dead to the ground. The Beast backflipped over a man who had swung a chain at him from behind, landing on the mans' shoulders and crushing him downwards. Another man came straight at him, swinging an iron baseball bat. The Joker recognized him as One Eyed Jack, his best lieutenant.

And then the Joker watched as the green monstrosity grabbed Jacks' head and popped it like a grape.

"I do believe I've lost my appetite." He mused as he hurriedly made his way to the side door Doctor Light and Scarecrow had used earlier. He paused only for a moment to glare at the bloody girl on the floor in the other room.

"Next time you won't get off so easily, kid. Now be a good girl, do your homework, and be in bed by nine." He laughed madly before taking off.

* * *

 _The Beast howled in fury, his bloodlust insatiable. This pack was WEAK, weaker than the others he had fought this night! How could a pack this pathetic even THINK of approaching his mate with intent to harm her?! They would NEVER be worthy to challenge him!_

 _KILL THEM ALL! He roared to the creatures he had called forth._

 _The cats yowled and began to climb up the buildings after the men with guns. The dogs howled and began to hunt in packs to chase down the men who had run. The ones on the ground were swarmed and devoured, screaming, by the chittering rats._

 _The Beast inhaled deeply, savoring the blood in the air._

 _Wait…the scent of his mate and cub! They were near!_

 _He howled once more and three large black dogs dashed up. With a snarl, he sent them around the back of the building the scent was coming from. He barreled through the front door, ripping the doorframe clean off and sending it crashing into the room._

 _His mate was there, he could smell her, she needed him, where was his mate?!_

" _ **Gar…"**_ _A voice called out weakly from another room._

 _In less than a heartbeat the Beast burst through the stone wall and bounded forward, the scent of her blood filling his nostrils. Where….there!_

 _The Beast backhanded a desk from his path and it exploded against the far wall. Hopping forward, he found the prone form of his mate in a small pool of blood. She was covered in wounds and reeked of some strange substance that made him think of madness. Despite this, he scooped her up in his arms and cradled her broken form against him._

 _Her four red eyes cracked open as she weakly clung to his bloody fur._ _ **"You came for me."**_

" _ **Not fast enough."**_ _The Beast grunted sorrowfully._ _ **"Mate hurt. Cub…?"**_

" _ **The baby will be fine, my love. They could not get past my magic."**_ _Raven said softly before coughing up a bit of blood._ _ **"But you must hurry. When I lose consciousness, my magic will fail."**_

 _The Beast looked down at her thoughtfully for a moment before speaking slowly._ _ **"When mate healed and safe…Beast take mate somewhere safer. Somewhere…quiet. Raven like quiet."**_

 _She looked up at him._ _ **"But Gar…you love the city."**_

 _He shook his head before nuzzling hers._ _ **"Love mate more. Love cub more. Beast will learn to love quiet."**_

* * *

 _ **CAN I GET A HOORAH?!**_


	16. How to Kill a Titan Part 2

_**Heeeelllllooooo readers! Guess what Foamy's brought back from the dead?! That's riiiiggghhttt!**_

 _ **Lol**_

 _ **In all seriousness, I kinda lost my motivation to continue this story for a little while. But a message from a reader, IHaveAFanficProblom, kinda gave me a kick in the pants to get it back to it. Not gonna lie, this story has gone on for WAY longer than originally planned. When I first sat down and made my outline, it was only supposed to be ten chapters long.**_

 _ **Look at it now, 15 chapters with more to come lol.**_

 _ **I can honestly say that I'm sorry that I can't update as frequently as I'd like with my stories. I work out of town a lot and a couple of weeks ago my laptop called it quits. I'm still writing a bit, but it's on my phone.**_

 ** _Combine that with being overworked and seriously stressed out with life, it makes it hard to write.  
_**

 ** _But I'm too thick skulled to give up just yet._**

 ** _Guess that makes it time for my reviewers, eh? lol_**

 ** _Zafnak- Glad you like the previous chapter, hope you like this one too!_**

 ** _Allen Blaster- Read and find out Raven's fate, my friend!_**

 ** _Xojcox- I'm glad you liked it! Hopefully this chapter will be to your tastes as well!_**

 ** _InsanityDeath- Thankee kindly, enjoy this chapter too!_**

 ** _Aqua Rules- Thanks, I loved writing that lol. Got a few more in this chapter too, hope you enjoy them!_**

 ** _ForThereWillComeSoftRains- Hella hella dope, imo. I haven't forgotten yer suggestion either, dude. ;)_**

 ** _Toto01- Nobody better do that, cause I'll be pissed. I look forward to yer reviews tbh lol._**

 ** _RPGPersona- Something tells me you'll like this chapter...or not_**

 ** _Mochafraptor- Here's another one for ya dude!_**

 ** _BigDickDanglin- Enjoy this one too! Also, your name kills me lol_**

 ** _BlueDog197- I REALLY enjoy the enthusiasm you put in your reviews, it always makes me feel like I'm a good writer. I hope you enjoy this chapter too!_**

 ** _Stormhawk fan SHhype- Honestly dude, it goes from the frying pan to the fryer here. And who knows about the Bat showing up? ;3_**

 ** _KangBoRam- It's a little behind schedule, but wish granted!_**

 ** _Spirit of the Black Wolf- Thank you! I'm happy you enjoy it! ^_^ I hope you enjoy this chapter too!_**

 ** _Deans1000- BOOYAH! er, wait...I mean hoorah! Enjoy some more!_**

 ** _And with that, my friends...here's the next chapter!_**

* * *

To the man known as Slade, this was a bad day.

Granted, it had started as a good day. He had successfully set up ambushes for each of the Titans, he had managed to entice the Joker into assisting him, and he personally got to shoot Beast Boy in the head for all the bullshit the little shapeshifter had interfered with over the years.

The only problem was that shooting the green boy didn't kill him. In fact, it only seemed to make him angry.

Now, when one thinks of _powerful_ Titans, they think of Raven, the sorceress; Starfire, the alien princess; Cyborg, the half machine man; Red Star, the living radiation conduit; Killowat, the teravolt elemental man; Aqualad, the Atlantean prince; or Hot Shot, the fire elemental man from Africa. They most certainly do _not_ think of the little green animorph that cracks terrible jokes, plays pranks, and is an overall slob when it comes to personal hygiene.

Slade was aware that Beast Boy and Raven had formed some sort of bond during his absence. He was aware that Raven was pregnant with the boys' child (this had shocked him so much that he had actually dropped his favorite coffee mug and broke it). He was aware that Raven's power was significantly weaker while carrying said child as well.

He was not, however, aware of the effects of Beast Boy's little…. _temper tantrum_ , we'll call it.

When he had witnessed Beast Boy push a bullet out of his skull, he had been confused.

When he had witnessed Beast Boy shift into a very large werewolf-like form, he had been considerably annoyed.

When he had shot and shot and shot the beast before him just to find that the bullets were practically useless, he had called Ravager to aid him.

When he had witnessed the beast brush her off like an annoying fly, he had been enraged.

There was no way this stupid _animal_ was going to beat him. He had been doing this for _decades_ and was nothing less than the top in his field. One day, Ravager would take his place as the best and he was damn well determined to make sure she was ready for it.

Of course, none of that mattered in the end. The beast had ripped him apart, quite literally.

Slade tilted his head weakly to the side and spotted the mangled remains of his left arm some feet away. He had seen his left leg dangling somewhere in the rafters above. His right arm had gone first and he hadn't seen that since. His right leg was somewhere in pieces by the far wall. His belly had been ripped open and multiple organs had been strewn about the room. He wasn't quite sure just how much blood he had lost either. But that was okay. He had a pretty strong healing factor that next to nobody knew about.

Yeah, that's right. Slade Wilson, the man known as Deathstroke the Terminator, is a metahuman just like most of the Titans and Justice League.

He returned his head to its slightly less painful sitting position and stared at the ceiling. Things hadn't been this bad for him since he died. He chuckled mirthlessly to himself. This was the second time Beast Boy had been responsible for him sitting at death's door (the first being when he turned Terra against him).

It was alright though. He was healing, just very slowly.

Slade was mindlessly watching a moth flitter around a light when he heard the crunching of boots on debris. He cast his eyes in the direction of the sound and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" He coughed as he gazed at the newcomer. The young man was dressed from head to toe in a black bodysuit with a red x over his left pectoral. A gray utility belt, similar to Robins', adorned his waist. He was wearing gray gloves with large red x's on the palms, x's which Slade knew had a variety of uses. His steel toe boots were scuffed from his frequent rooftop travels and his black cloak was slightly tattered. The inner gray fabric looked dirtier than usual, as did the jawless white skull mask that sat upon his face. The red x upon the mask seemed to shine angrily in the light of the warehouse.

"I wasn't going to get tangled up in the little war you and your boss have going on with the Justice League and Titans at first." Red X's digitized voice echoed throughout the building. He sounded angry.

"I can offer you a considerable amount of money to assist me right now." Slade offered. The boy was talented, he knew this. He just didn't know _who_ the boy was and it irked him.

"Keep your damned money, Deathstroke!" X snarled.

"Temper temper, boy. No need to get snappy with me. Especially since I don't know what I did wrong."

Red X loomed over the prone man and spoke in a deep and menacing digitized growl. "You brought in the clown."

Slade stared at him.

"I _hate_ the clown." X spat.

The injured man chuckled as best as he could with one and a half lungs. "Everybody hates the clown, boy."

"Yeah, but I bet he didn't _kill you_."

"That lunatic has killed a lot of people, boy. Not even I have been able to keep track of that list."

Red X silently stared at Slade for some time before speaking. "You are right, Slade. Too bad that you won't be here long enough to find out what I do to him."

If Slade could have laughed he would have. "And just what are _you_ going to do, boy?"

" _I_ am not doing anything." Red X said darkly as he held up something that reflected light. Slade's one good eye peered at it in confusion before he realized that it was the spare syringe of metahuman gene-suppression serum he had had Dr. Chang and the Scarecrow create together.

"It hardly works." Slade snorted.

"You see, that's where you're wrong Slade. I did a little digging through your employee's files and found that the serum works completely as intended…for twenty minutes. Then it dissipates into the bloodstream." X held the syringe up to the light and peered at it. "Funnily enough, there was a footnote on the file denoting that you _shouldn't_ be told of its short timeline."

Slade stared at the serum long and hard before snorting once more. "If you're going to kill me, get it over with already. I have things in Hell that I could be doing as well, boy."

"I already said I wasn't killing you, Slade." Red X tossed the serum to the side before turning his back to the downed merc. "I'd say nice knowing you, but I'd be a damned liar."

Slade stared daggers at the young mans' back before it occurred to him that the serum hadn't burst on the floor. He turned his head in the direction of the throw and found something he hadn't been expecting.

"Hello gov'na'. Fancy a chat with Moddy?"

* * *

Red X had never really cared for the Titans, particularly Robin. Sure, Starfire was cute as hell, but dumber than a sack of bricks. Definitely not his type. Cyborg was the older brother type and X had always hated the idea of being second fiddle to anyone. Beast Boy was the younger brother type and even worse, the clown type. Instant dislike. Raven was just creepy. Seriously creepy. He didn't know what Beast Boy saw in the girl, let alone why the others stuck around her.

And then there was Robin. He didn't like Robin. He was a goody two shoes that next to never got his hands dirty, he was suuuch a good team leader, he was suuuch a good hero, he was blah blah blah blah who gives a damn?

What does Robin know of pain? What does Robin know about suffering? What does Robin know about hopelessness? Despair? Fear?

Nothing.

 _Robin_ was a disgrace to the tights wearing community, not that anyone could see it.

He hated that name. _Robin_. It was stupid, it was worthless, it wasn't worth saving.

And yet….

X sighed to himself as he withdrew a small hand computer from his utility belt. He clicked it on and cycled through the feeds he had scattered about the town.

Seems like Beast Boy had done some serious house cleaning in the past hour. Sportsmaster, Captain Cold, Deadshot, and the Joker's men were all dead. Seems like Harley, the Joker, Scarecrow, and Doctor Light all scattered to the winds to avoid the rampaging Beast too. He clicked through the next feeds and frowned.

The Joker had fled town via boat. There was no telling where the maniac was now.

Cursing to himself, Red X flung the device and shattered it against a wall. He had _finally_ found the clown after all this time, only for him to slip away.

He furiously paced the rooftop, his thoughts racing. Now he'd have to gather up more money so that he could start his operations sooner. This was beyond infuriating since he had just returned from Gotham, where he had been hunting for the Joker to begin with.

"Damnit!" He shouted to no one in particular as he ripped his helmet off and flung it against the wall. "Damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit!"

His fury only partially spent, he glared at his helmet. The helmet he had stolen from Robin.

He _hated_ that name and what it signified.

Muttering darkly to himself, the young man ran his hand through his black hair before sighing and retrieving his helmet.

In truth, the boy known as Dick Grayson had done nothing to deserve his anger. _Robin_ , as a symbol, is what he hated. Dick was just a dude that cared a lot for his friends and strived to preserve justice. It was an enviable ideology, really. X had once sought the same thing.

But that was the past.

X replaced the scratched helmet on his head and slowly made his way to the edge of the roof. Despite the fact that he had no reason to do so, he was going to help the Titans.

After all, if he couldn't help the first, he never deserved to be called the second.

* * *

Robin peered about the open clearing cautiously. Killer Croc and Cheetah were nowhere in sight and the mangled corpse of Deadshot hadn't moved. He signaled to the others.

"Titans, move."

As he limped forward, he could hear Cyborgs' heavy metallic footsteps right behind him. The cybernetic man had volunteered to carry Starfire on his back since she could barely walk. Hidden in a compartment in his left leg was Control Freak's remote. Said nerd had retreated for the night, citing that 'he'd come back for the remote another time'. There was such an elated look on his face from Starfire's kiss that Robin was suspicious about the nerd's intentions. Jinx and Seemore followed closely behind Cyborg, both of them keeping a wary eye on the surrounding area. They knew there had to be more Blood bots about.

Other than their footsteps, it was relatively quiet as they made their way to where Raven and Beast Boy were. Using his sword as a crutch, Robin led the group until he stumbled and fell. He'd lost too much blood and the adrenaline was fading. There was a tugging sensation and he found himself lifted off the ground and deposited on Cyborg's back next to Starfire.

"Cyborg, put me down." Robin said wearily.

Cyborg shook his head. "No can do man. I've got the least injuries here and I'm the strongest while Star is out of it. Y'all just get comfy."

Robin sighed and was about to argue when a loud and vicious howl filled the air. As one, the Titans stopped.

"Hey there, Rob…BB does know that we're friendly, right?" Seemore gulped.

"Yeah, he knows." Robin nodded as he looked around. "But that's not what howled…"

He trailed off as three large and vicious looking black dogs stepped out between two buildings in the direction they were headed in. Snarling, the beast moved closer until they were a mere fifteen feet away.

"If they attack, duck down so I can hit them with my sword." Robin ordered his friend. Cyborg looked at him like he was crazy.

"You want me to get _closer_ to them? They're covered in blood!"

The caped crusader peered at the canines before him. Sure enough, there was a considerable amount of blood on the quadrupeds. He looked back at his friend. "So what do you suggest?"

"I say we stay put until BB gets back with-"

The sound of metal crunching drew everyone's attention to the alleyway the dogs had vacated. There was a large and shadowy form making its way through, crushing everything underfoot. They waited with bated breath until it was obvious that it was Beast Boy still in the form of the Beast. The Beast let out a low woof that made the three dogs back off and retreat from the area. His heavy stomps echoed through the clearing as he made his way to his pack. His arms were tucked up against his body, almost as if…

"Friend Raven!" Starfire cried out.

" **You don't have to yell, Starfire."** A tired voice called out from the arms of the Beast. The hero's didn't hesitate to approach the Beast as quickly as they could now. He was covered in blood, but whose blood they weren't sure of.

"Raven, are you alright?" Robin asked, looking at the half demoness.

" **Far from it."** She sighed. **"I've lost a considerable amount of blood, I've been drugged with a fear gas, and there are various wounds from a crowbar and a knife all over my body. My baby is safe, though that is because I used every iota of my power to protect it."**

"Good lord…it's like what the Joker did to Jason…" Robin muttered darkly.

" **Who?"**

"Nevermind." Robin shook his head. "We need to get back to the Tower ASAP."

"Uh, Rob? That'll be a little easier said than done. I don't have room in my car and neither Starfire nor Raven can fly right now." Cyborg shook his head.

"We'll have to walk back then."

" **Wonderful."** Raven said sarcastically.

"We should find somewhere to bandage you guys up. You're all bleeding all over the place." Jinx suggested. "Where's the nearest hospital?"

Robin shook his head. "No hospitals. We can't put anyone else in danger, especially since there are Blood-bots roaming about looking for-"

The sound of many metal boots stomping through the streets filled the air and everyone glared at Robin.

"You just _had_ to bring them up, didn't you?" Cyborg moaned.

"Titans…retreat." The caped crusader sighed. He hated giving that order out.

And so they ran.

* * *

In another part of town, Red X was overlooking a small warehouse. Outside the building was a rather peculiar sight.

Adonis, Doctor Light, and Mammoth were all standing there arguing about whether or not it was best to leave. They had been going at it for several minutes now, with Adonis and Mammoth refusing to dip out without their money. Judging from the sounds of the conversation, the rest of the Hive Five were in the building guarding something.

The thief rubbed the chin of his helmet thoughtfully. His suit was really more suited to taking down Titans, not these guys. Though technically, the elastic-like gel he used to contain Beast Boy could be used on Mammoth and Adonis since all they had going for them was strength. Doctor Light would be a bigger problem. Although…if he moved fast enough, he might be able to disable the suit's power core and just take the old man down. As for the rest of the Five…Gizmo could be immobilized as well, Kyd Wykkyd would have to stunned and knocked out, Private Hive would definitely need to be knocked out too. Billy Numerous was the only one he wasn't sure what he'd do with. What could he do with a brawler-type multiplying man?

 _Hmmm…._

* * *

Ask any one of the Titans and they would say that yeah, they've had better days. They'd also say they've had worse days too, which is true. Currently, they were running through the tunnel to Titans Tower, a veritable horde of Blood-bots on their heels. There was well over two hundred of the Cyborg-knock offs and they were gaining fast.

Fortunately, Cyborg managed to stop long enough to reactivate the security system of the tunnel. Said system automatically assaulted the machines, resulting in what was pretty much all out warfare that was destroying the underwater tunnel as fast as the Titans could run through it. It wasn't until they were through the door to the garage that they stopped to look back. The tunnel was filling up fast with water, but the robots kept coming and coming. It almost seemed as if their numbers were increasing instead of decreasing too.

"How many of those damn things are there?!" Cyborg shouted as he fired his cannon from behind his stacked tire shelter.

Jinx popped around the corner and fired off a blast of her hexic magic, dropping several tons of tunnel stone onto the approaching horde. "Not sure, but if I remember correctly Brother Blood had five or six manufactories for these things! The school was only one of them and the only other that I know specifically was Titans East Tower, which you destroyed too."

"Well that's just great." Cyborg muttered before leaping to the side of the door and hitting the closing button. The heavy steel wall smashed downwards, severing the arms of several robots. Within seconds, the door began to shudder under the weight of their blows.

"This ain't gonna last, man, we need to find another way out." Cyborg yelled to his team leader.

"Get the security system back online!" Robin shouted. "Beast Boy, take Raven and Starfire to the infirmary! Jinx, help Seemore swap his battery and get yourself bandaged up after!"

"Right!" The reply was simultaneous as the Titans scattered. Robin grinned before he approached the garage door. Whistling to himself, he pulled out a handful of strange looking blocks of metal from his belt and set them at different places around the room after setting several in front of the door. Afterwards, he set a little electronic device on each on and pressed several buttons.

He grinned to himself once more as he limped from the room. After shutting and locking the door, he pulled out a small cylindrical device from his belt and set about welding the door to the frame. After he finished that, he started placing more the strange metal blocks in the hallway at different intervals. There weren't enough to really hold off the small army of robots, but every downed 'bot counted. Immediately after, he exited that hallway and shut, locked, and welded that door shut too.

 _It'll do for now._ He thought to himself as he limped towards the elevator.

* * *

" **Gar, please put me down on the bed nearest the window."**

The Beast complied instantly, setting his mate down gently before laying the now unconscious Starfire on the bed beside that one. Raven sighed as she settled into the sheets. The soft fabric felt good on her aching body, though she knew it was rapidly becoming covered in her blood. She needed to heal.

" **I'm going to enter into a healing trance, my love."** She grabbed one of his huge fingers and squeezed it. **"I'm probably going to be in it for a while, so take care of the rest of the pack until I recover."**

The Beast dipped his head in acquiescence, so the empath closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Within seconds, she exhaled and floated up off the bed, surrounded by a soft blue glow that enveloped her entire body.

The Beast sat on his haunches in the corner, watching his mate. He quietly pondered to himself as to the whereabouts of the other females' mate. It was strange that he had not come to check on her yet.

The door opened and Jinx walked in. She glanced warily at the Beast, who merely grunted.

"Looks like Raven is healing herself." The witch muttered to herself. "That leaves me to wrap up Star since the jolly green giant can't do it."

And with that, she set about bandaging the alien princess as best as she could. Jinx had never been fond of stitching someone up after a fight, but it wasn't something she was unused to. As many times as the idiots in the Hive Five had fought amongst themselves, she had picked up a few things.

Seeing a long gash etched up Starfire's body, starting from her hip and ending at the curve of her left breast, the pink haired girl paused. She needed to take her friends' shirt off to stitch that up, but Beast Boy was in here.

She turned and glared at him. "Why don't you get out so I can fix Starfire up?"

The Beast growled, so Jinx turned away with a huff. "At least turn around so that you don't see. Raven might not be too happy if you see another girls boobs."

There was silence for a moment before a shuffle was heard. Glancing back, Jinx was surprised to see that Beast Boy had listened to her.

 _Well, that's weird._ She thought to herself as she ripped the shirt off and started cleaning the wound. _Never thought I'd see a guy pass up a chance to look at boobs._

* * *

Higher up in the tower, Cyborg was swearing furiously at the computer screen in front of him. So furiously, in fact, that I don't even want to write how creative his cursing became.

"WORK, DAMNIT!" He roared at the screen before beating the keyboard with his fists. "WHY THE BLOODY HELL WON'T YOU-"

A little chat box popped up on his screen with a message in it.

 _Hey Cyborg, forgot to mention I changed your passwords and a few settings before I left earlier since someone hacked them and turned your security system is off. The new password is ControlFreakIsTheMostAmazingAndSexyGuyEverWhoAlsoDeservesStarfire and the system changes are set to route file B4233rt5 to C1877re7 instead of Y8765uo8._

 _-CF_

The robotic man stared at the screen for a moment. "He set the security system to come on if someone opens the fridge? What the actual hell? AND WHAT'S WITH THAT FREAKING PASSWORD?!"

* * *

"Yo Rob, where do you want me?" Seemore asked as he ran up to his team leader.

"See if you can weld the doors shut starting from the basement all the way up to the elevator, then weld the elevator shut after returning here. We'll use the stairs to set traps throughout the building."

"Uh…isn't Cy turning the security system back on?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah, but we have more problems than we thought."

A question mark popped up in the visor of the cyclops, leading Robin to gesture out of the common room window where they were at. Peeking out, Seemore gasped when he saw that _dozens_ of Blood bots were coming out of the water towards the tower.

"Hoooollllyyy shit, man!"

"Yeah." Robin said wearily. "This is bad. Communications are down too, or I'd call for backup."

"Can't Cy fix that too?"

"He said he'd try, but there's something in town that blocking all communications." The caped crusader shook his head. "Looks like we're own our own."

"What about the Justice League?" Seemore asked hesitantly. "I know we aren't supposed to contact them unless it's an emergency, but I think this is an emergency."

"I agree, but the communicators can't reach the Watch Tower with the jamming signal in place."

Seemore tore his gaze from the spectacle before him and looked at his team leader. "So…we're pretty much screwed, right?"

 _ **SECURITY SYSTEM ONLINE. INTRUDERS DETECTED. ACTIVATING DEFENESE PROTOCOLS.**_

Robin smiled. "Man, I love having Cyborg around."

* * *

"BOOYAH!"

Up in the security room, Cyborg was loudly singing _Flight of the Valkyries_ as he watched his beloved security system go berserk on the invading robots. He couldn't help but to cheer as a particularly large group of bots was ripped apart by laser fire on the beaches. On an alternate camera feed, he watched as the bots in the garage were ripped apart by odd looking metal boxes on the floor in the garage. He paused the feed and zoomed in.

" _Landmines?!"_ He shouted. "Where the heck did he get _landmines?!"_

* * *

Elsewhere in the tower, Robin chuckled as he heard the rumblings from down below. "Hehe, they found the landmines."

* * *

"What the heck is this thing?" X asked aloud as he stared at the strange honeycomb-shaped device in the warehouse. Scattered about the floor around him were the prone forms of the Hive Five, all in various states of unconsciousness. It had been quite a task getting them all, especially Kyd Wykkyd and Billy Numerous. In the end, he had tricked the Billys into starting a fist fight with one another over "who was the Hilly Billyest Billy there".

Morons.

Now he was left with this weird looking machine with no idea what it was. There was only a single panel on the device and he couldn't figure out how to open it. With a shrug, he palmed an explosive x and stepped closer to the machine. If he couldn't turn it off, he'd destroy it.

"My my my…what do we have here? A thief seeking to be a hero?" A dark voice resonated through the building.

Red X turned to the speaker and found an older man with many cybernetic enhancements. He couldn't help but snort. "What are you, a Cyborg fanboy?"

"Not quite." The cybernetic man glared at the thief. "My name is Brother Blood and I'm quite interested as to why you're interfering with Slade and mine's little game with the Titans."

X smiled darkly underneath his helm. "Slade's dead, ripped apart by Beast Boy."

A single eyebrow rose. "Is that so? I suppose I should be heartbroken that I won't get my money, but I'll just go to his employer after I finish the Titans."

"I don't think so, Blood." Red X fully turned to face the other man, who scoffed.

"You think you can take _me_ , boy? How laughable." Brother Blood's eyes glowed and X could hear metal stomps start echoing throughout the building. "Come, my child. Let me teach you how to feel pain."

X's laugh was hollow and cold as he held up the explosive x. "There is _nothing_ someone like you can teach me, old man."

* * *

Back at the tower, things were looking grim. The tide of Blood bots hadn't stemmed the least bit and now they overran the lower floors of the tower.

"Robin, come in! Where you at, man?!" Cyborg yelled into his communicator on his arm as the other one unleased a salvo of high tech rockets into a wall of machines.

"Pinned down in my armoury!" Robin's call came back. "I've got plenty of weapons here, but there's so many robots that I can't hit them all!"

"Sounds about right!" Seemore butted in. "I'm in the common room stuck behind the tables and fridge! I got bot's coming through three different doors here!"

"Jinx, you're the closest, can you help Seemore?" Robin asked before his head disappeared from the screen for a moment.

"Roger!" The witch called out before snapping her communicator off. She dashed out of the infirmary, only pausing to shut and lock the doors behind her. The machines hadn't made it this high up the tower just yet, but there was no sense in taking chances. She ran to the end of the hallway and bust through the door to the stairs. Taking three steps at a time, she descended three floors rather quickly. Just as she reached the door to the floor of the common room, she paused to listen. There were the sounds of many feet stomping up the stairs, which means the robots had discovered the rarely used passage way up. Jinx whipped out her communicator once more.

"Robin, they figured out we have stairs!" She called out.

"There's stairs here?" Both Cyborg and Seemore asked. Robin shook his head.

"Drop them! We'll cope, somehow!"

Jinx snapped her communicator shut once more before stepping to the railing. Looking down, she could see them still several floors below her. Holding out one hand, she took careful aim before releasing her hexic magic. The pink waves blasted the stairs below her, sending the debris toppling onto the machines. The additional weight caused the stairs below them to cream and crumble, sending them crashing down even further. This continued all the way to the bottom.

Grinning to herself, the witch ran from the stairwell to help her friend.

* * *

When the wanna be Cyborg robot had blasted off his left leg, Cyborg knew he was in real big trouble. He watched the aforementioned limb bounce across the room before hitting the wall hard and shattering. He hoped, no he _prayed_ , that the remote holding Atomic Skull was still intact.

Pretty wishful thinking on his part.

The remote ignited into a ball of green flame as little screen on it spat out the enraged metahuman. Atomic Skull looked around the room for a moment, taking in the scene before him. There were dozens of goldish colored robots, along with a familiar looking blue and black person. The golden bots didn't attack him, which meant they were friendly. Probably belonged to that Blood guy. The other one looked quite distressed as Skull approached him.

"Um…I'm not the droid you're looking for?" Cyborg asked weakly.

"Nice try, kid." Atomic Skull sneered before rearing his fist back and slamming it into the teen's chest. The shockwave from his strike blew many of the other robots off their feet as the force of his blow ruptured the floor below them.

After pulling himself from the debris two floors down, the radioactive metahuman looked down at the crumpled form of the Titan. His strike had left a massive hole in the torso of the cybernetic man and there was a faintly flickering blue light coming from inside of it. Everything other light was dark.

He laughed. "One down, six to go."

* * *

"Did you feel that?" Jinx called out to Seemore as she dived behind a table. Said table immediately erupted into splinters as canon fire ripped it apart, sending her rolling across the floor.

"Sure did!" Seemore yelled back as his laser eye danced across several robots. The intensity of his beam, now amplified via a fresh power cell, dissected the machines quite nicely.

"Whaddaya-" Jinx grunted as she backflipped over a blast, "-think it was?"

Seemore snapped to his eye bubble and dropped one behind Jinx, where it absorbed a trio of blasts before bursting. "Not sure, but it didn't sound happy!"

* * *

"By X'hal, what is going on?" Starfire sat up painfully after waking up. In the corner of the room, the Beast stirred.

" **Den under attack.** " He grunted.

The alien princess's gaze drifted to the floating Raven. "And friend Raven…?"

" **Healing."**

Starfire nodded. "I am going to assist the others as best as I can."

The Beast grunted once more. Without another word, Star limped her way out of the room. As much as she hurt, she could still fight a bit. She couldn't fire any starbolts with such low energy, nor could she fly, but her punches would still decimate any robots she came across.

To someone as heavily injured as she was, the short walk to the elevator seemed to take an entire lifetime to travel. Nevertheless, she managed it and leaned wearily on the door as she waited. It only took a few minutes, but she was pretty happy to hear it ding softly before her.

Her joy disappeared as the door opened.

A gauntleted hand snapped forward and grabbed her face. Effortlessly it lifted her from the ground and she could only stare, horrified, into the green flamed skull at the other end of the limb.

"I always knew thirteen was my lucky number." Atomic Skull chuckled darkly. "Who knew the thirteenth floor would bring me back to you, _your majesty?_ "

Starfire had no time to react before he barreled through the nearest wall, slamming her body into it over and over as he ran down the hallway. When he reached the end, he lifted her up above his head before slamming her into the floor. She vomited blood from the impact and more blood burst from her mouth as he prompted began to stomp her. With each hit the floor cracked and groaned, with Skull only stopping right before it collapsed.

He stood back and admired his handiwork. "Still alive, eh? Damn girl, you are stupidly tough."

Despite the severity of her injuries, Starfire glared at him. He laughed before holding a glowing hand up.

"By X'hal…" The princess mumbled before the blast of radiation engulfed her.

Atomic Skull peered into the hole he had blasted the girl through. Apparently the impact and force had sent her through multiple floors and she was a distant, unmoving, dot far below him.

"Two down, five to go." He laughed before pausing. "Hold on…she had fresh bandages…"

* * *

Robin couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Before him, bloodied beyond belief and surrounded by debris and robots, was Starfire.

 _His_ Starfire was laying on the floor of the armoury, where she had quite unceremoniously dropped through the ceiling.

Screaming, he surged up and over the titanium table he was using as shelter and launched himself at the assembled robots. His sword flashed in the light as he ripped apart the machines, roaring every hate filled obscenity he could think of as he struggled to reach his lover.

* * *

"Jinx!" Seemore called out as the witch collapsed. He ducked and dodged and rolled and hopped over every grasping machine and every blast he could as he ran over to his prone teammate.

But he wasn't going to make it, there was a canon at her head!

In slow motion, he watched as the canon lit up and released its charge. "No!"

"You know, I was wondering why she wasn't answering my calls." A cold voice said rather loudly. Seemore's head snapped to the side and he saw Kid Flash standing there with the pink haired girl in his arms. He looked _pissed._

Seemore glanced back to where Jinx had been a split second before and found a small smoking crater where her head had been.

"Got any fight left in you, Bright Eye?"

The cyclops looked up, startled, to find Kid Flash (Jinx nowhere in sight) holding his hand out to help him up. Seemore took his friend's hand and pulled himself up.

"I sure do, man, I sure do." Seemore shook his head as he viewed the assembled machines. "Too many for me to take alone though."

Kid Flash snorted, his face lit in anger. "These are _nothing._ "

Before the cyclops could even _think_ of moving, speedster blasted forward. His furious charge literally ripped the machines apart upon impact and he sheered straight through every one in the room within a heartbeat.

To Seemore, it was as if they had all simply exploded.

The cold eyed Kid Flash appeared in front of him once more. "Looks like they're all coming from the beach, coming up out of the water. I'll deal with them. Can you get Jen to the infirmary? She's over in the corner."

Seemore nodded. "Sure thing buddy. Knock'em dead!"

Kid Flash disappeared once more and the ex-villain hear multiple explosions starting up outside. He ran over and picked up Jinx from where she had been hidden behind a bit of relatively intact furniture. Listening to the furious speedsters' assault, he shook his head.

"Remind me not to piss off KF." He muttered to the unconscious girl in his arms.

* * *

"Well, aren't you something else?" Atomic Skull whistled.

Standing before him was the Beast, bristling with rage. Skull wasn't entirely sure where this huge dog-thing had come from, but there appeared to be a door behind him. Which must have been the infirmary. This dog-thing was green too, which meant this had to be Beast Boy. And seeing as how he was guarding a door…that must mean Raven is on the other side of it.

"Two for the price of one!" He chuckled. The Beast roared at him before charging. Atomic Skull dashed forward and swung a hard right uppercut into the Beast stomach. Having true super strength, his blow audibly cracked ribs and knocked the breath out of the shapeshifter. But the Beast whipped both arms about his head and slammed them down onto the villain.

Even as Skull toppled backwards onto the floor, he kicked a leg out. It impacted with the Beast's right kneecap and shattered it instantly. The Beast howled in fury as he fell over. Despite this, he pounced onto his opponent and began to relentlessly slash him with his claws. Skull cried out in pain before jamming both his hands into the chest of the Beast and blasting him upwards into the ceiling. The radioactive metahuman rolled to his side and scrambled to his feet just in time to avoid the larger metahuman's body dropping on top of him.

The Beast was retching blood and it flowed freely out of every hole, his body convulsing as it tried to adapt to the radiation poisoning it now had. Both growling and whining, it reached a clawed hand out and grasped Atomic Skull's ankle weakly.

The villain sneered and kicked the hand away before turning to the door.

It was quite in the infirmary and the only thing of interest in there was a pregnant girl with purple hair that was floating six inches off a bed. Skull approached her and swept his gaze up her body. She looked like she had already been through hell today.

"Nothing personal, kid. It's just business." He said before he snatched her up by her hair and slung her through a wall.

Raven was jarred out of her healing trance instantly as her body impacted the surface. She rolled across the ground and bounced twice before something struck her back and halted her momentum. Spitting up blood, she opened her eyes and found Garfield some feet away. There was blood coming out of his ears, nose, mouth, and eyes as his body convulsed. She tried to crawl over to him but found that she couldn't move. Her eyes drifted downward to the pieces of rebar she was impaled on.

"Jesus Christ, why won't you kids just die already?"

Raven slowly looked up into the glowing hands of a villain she had never seen before.

As a shimmering light engulfed her, she closed her eyes and sent out a telepathic message.

 _Garfield, I love you._

* * *

 _ **At the same time…**_

"Starfire! Please, wake up!" Robin cried frantically to the limp form in his arms. He didn't care that there were still a dozen robots in the room with him. He didn't care that his left arm and left leg were useless. He didn't care that he was bleeding out.

All he wanted to was to hear her voice, one last time.

"Please, Star, wake up…" He wept as he cradled her face to his chest. "Please! I'll eat any Tamarean dishes you want, I'll take Silkie for more walks, I'll even let Beast Boy skip training! Please please please please just wake up!"

But she still did not stir.

As a shimmering light filled the room, Robin kissed his lover one last time.

"Starfire, I love you."

* * *

 _ **At the same time…**_

"Aw, shit…"

It was all Seemore could say as he looked down the barrels of the sonic cannons in his face. The elevator had just opened up to the tenth floor, where it had been forced to a stop. With his hands full with Jinx's unconscious body, he'd never be able to reach his visor in time.

As a shimmering light began to fill the hallway, the sounds of canon fire could be heard.

* * *

 _ **At the same time…**_

"I…I can't do this much longer…" Kid Flash panted as he ducked behind a boulder. He was exhausted from having constantly used his superspeed and hyper vibration powers to rip apart the apparently inexhaustible number of robots. He didn't know how long he'd been at it, but hopefully it was long enough for everyone inside to regroup.

A movement to his side drew his attention to a group of Blood bots rounding the pile of boulders he had went around moments before.

"Shit." He muttered to himself as he rolled out of the way of their sonic cannons. He stumbled to his feet, dearly wishing his had something to eat to replenish his strength. Darting around another boulder, he came upon a trio of working laser turrets. They immediately snapped towards the speedster and scanned him.

 **Titan Registration 101: Kid Flash, protégé of Flash. Reprioritizing commands…defending Kid Flash, acknowledged.**

Wally grinned. "Sweet! I totally owe Cyborg a ham-"

The explosion from the three turrets being destroyed blew the speedster straight off his feet and into a jagged rock formation. His left leg was immediately pierced through, dull spikes of stone shining bloodily in the fire light. He screamed and clutched his thigh, where a hunk of burning metal had seared into his flesh next to the stone.

Panting and convulsing in pain, he ripped the metal from his leg and attempted to pry himself from the rock. If he could get off and lay low for a bit, he could use the rest of his energy to speed up his healing process just like the Flash could.

It sounded like a great idea, except for the part where a half dozen Blood bots stepped through the flaming debris and leveled their canons at him.

As a shimmering light engulfed him, Kid Flash cursed.

"This is _so_ bullshit."

* * *

 _ **Some minutes before the previous scenes…**_

"You little bastard."

Red X laughed as he wiped away blood that was flowing into his eye. His brawl with the technopath had resulted in his helmet taking some serious damage, forcing him to discard it. "What's wrong, Blood? Didn't think a _thief_ could trick you into destroying your own jamming device?"

Brother Blood snarled. "You best watch your tongue, boy! I know your face now!"

Red X shook his head as he looked around at the destroyed room. There were only two walls remaining and the ceiling was practically nonexistent. Piles of debris littered the floor, several of which had crushed and killed Gizmo, Private Hive, and Kyd Wykkyd.

X laughed after a moment. "Know my face all you want, Blood. I'm already dead, so it doesn't matter. Especially not since the League will be showing up soon."

Blood's single human eye widened. "The Justice League? How…"

"If you think they wouldn't keep an eye on the Titans, you're an idiot. The moment they realize all hell has broken loose down here, they'll come running."

Brother Blood frowned deeply for a moment before shrugging. "That's fine, I suppose. I'll just take my leave then."

"They'll find you." Red X snorted. "They'll be too pissed _not_ to."

The cybernetic man smiled darkly. "If I were staying here, I might be worried. But since things are looking rather grim, I think I'll pop on over to the reality next door for a bit."

X's face screwed up in confusion. "Reality jumping? Why the heck would you want to do that?"

"The me of that world has _disappeared_ , so to speak, which would leave me free to do as I please." The older man chuckled. "It would be an excellent time to try a few new projects I had in mind."

The thief snorted derisively. "Better be better than all these stupid tin can copies of Cyborg you made. Seriously, that's just sad."

Brother Blood nodded. "I've decided to move on from that. This time…I was thinking _clones._ "

"Clones? What kind of crazy shit-"

"I'M NOT CRAZY! I AM A GENIUS!" Blood shouted. X stared at him impassively, so the older than snorted before holding up his arm. A panel flipped open and he started pressing buttons. After a moment, a portal opened up behind him.

Just before he stepped through, however, he glanced back at the thief. "Hope you don't mind if I go out with a _bang!"_

The portal snapped shut behind him, leaving Red X puzzled.

At least, he was puzzled until he heard the ticking on the other side of the former communications jammer.

* * *

 _ **Whhheeeewww...yeeaaaahhh...some of ya'll might be a lil pissed at how badly this turned out for the Titans...but hey, there's a silver lining on every cloud!**_

 _ ***looks up at the cloudless sky***_

 _ **Well...fuck.**_

 _ **Also, major points to anyone who can successfully connect the dots in this story. Ciao!**_


	17. News Bulletin

_**So...um...yeah. Here's the next chapter. Its...kinda short. You'll see why...**_

 _ **No reviews this time either.**_

* * *

" _Superman, can you tell us what happened last week at Titans Tower in Jump City?"_

 _The red and blue clad alien man paused, almost as he was listening to instructions. After a rather anxious moment, he began speaking into the microphone on the podium before him._

" _Yes Ms. Lane, I can. Now as you all know, one week ago today Jump City became under attack by a collaboration of villains under Deathstroke the Terminator, who was locally known as Slade. The villains Captain Cold, Sportsmaster, Brother Blood, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Cheetah, Deadshot, Doctor Light, The Scarecrow, Atomic Skull, and The Joker were all a part of an organized strike team designed to kill members of the Justice League and it's affiliated groups. This group of villains are responsible for the deaths of The Green Arrow, Vixen,, Black Canary, Huntress, and Elongated Man in addition to their attack on the Teen Titans."_

" _And just what happened during their attack? We have reports on people…well, dying!" Another reporter shouted._

 _Again Superman paused. "That is correct. Deathstroke, Captain Cold, Sportsmaster, Deadshot, and a large number of men in the employ of the Joker were killed during the Titans struggle to survive. Its is unknown if it was the hard pressed Titans that are responsible for their deaths, though a large amount of infighting was suggested. Slade appeared to have been slain by a combination of Killer Croc, Cheetah, and a local villain known as Mad Mod. Mod had severe gunshot wounds and died on his way to the ER. Also found at that murder scene was the body of a young villain known as Punk Rocket, who was apparently Mods' grandson.. Killer Croc and Cheetah also appeared to have turned on Captain Cold, Deadshot, and the Joker, seeing as the former were killed in an animal-like fashion and the latters' men died in a similar fashion."_

" _What would prompt Killer Croc and Cheetah to turn on their employers like that?" Lois Lane prompted._

" _It is speculated the disagreement was over money, seeing as they were all contracted to kill the same people."_

" _Did they succeed? No one has seen the Titans since the attack…"_

 _Superman hesitated, his face turning sorrowful. "It is with great sorrow that I must tell you that the Titans known as Seemore and Jinx were killed by a host of robotic soldiers sent by Brother Blood during the attack."_

" _Weren't those two villains?" Someone shouted._

 _The man of steel shook his head. "At one point they were. But the Titan Kid Flash successfully rehabilitated Jinx and the Titans Beast Boy and Raven successfully rehabilitated Seemore some months ago. Both had become fine young hero's under the tutelage of the Titans."_

" _And what of the Titans?" Lois pressed her mike forward._

 _Superman paused once more. "Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven were in life threatening danger when the Justice League arrived. We were unaware of the attack due to a signal jammer, which was destroyed by an unknown assailant. Cyborg was severely damaged but not in a life threatening way. Kid Flash was seriously injured but has already fully recovered."_

" _Where are they now?"_

" _The Titans are recovering in the Watchtower, seeing as Titans Tower was destroyed in the assault. It might have remained intact if Atomic Skull had stayed down like I told him to."_

" _You personally assisted the junior hero's?"_

 _Superman nodded. "Of course. Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Shazaam, Hawkgirl, Plastic Man, Aquaman, Firestorm, Black Lightning, Steel, the Flash, and myself all went to help them. As such, for the duration of the Titans being incapacitated the Justice League will take over guarding Jump City directly. As of this moment, Shazaam and Steel are-"_

" _THE HELL THEY ARE!" A voice roared out. Heads turn and people make way for a black and purple uniformed man with a strange helmet on._

" _Jump City will be watched by the Doom Patrol until the Titans are fit for duty again!" Mento spat._

 _Superman's eyebrow raises. "I wasn't aware of this, Mento."_

" _I don't give two flying f*bleep*s what you know, boyscout!" Mento growled. "You and your damned club d*bleep*ing around in that *bleep*damn tower all the f*bleep*ing time is what caused this! You f*bleep*ing lazy *bleep* won't go and hunt these *bleep* down unless you get some kind of *bleep*damned signal! Well, here's a F*BLEEP*ING SIGNAL FOR YA! I WANT MY *BLEEP*DAMN KIDS BACK!"_

" _Mento, please watch your language, we're on national television." Superman said patiently._

" _Not until I have my kids!"_

" _I'm sorry, but Beast Boy is still unable to be moved at this time."_

" _You'll give me my son and daughter or I'll rip that f*bleep*ing tower out of the and TAKE THEM!" Mento roared at the other hero._

 _Superman merely sighs. "So you were aware of Raven and Beast Boys relationship?"_

 _Mento, slightly calmer, nodded. "Of course. Elastigirl and I didn't approve at first, but they made each other happy so we changed our minds."_

" _So you know of Raven's…medical condition?"_

" _Of course we knew! How could we not…" Mento trailed off, his eyes widening. "How are they? How is she? What about-"_

 _Superman flew over to the older hero and put his hand on Mentos' shoulder. "Mento, with all due respect, this isn't the place to talk about this."_

" _F*bleep* these people." Mento said coldly. "I seriously don't give a f*bleep* about them right now. I want my kids, Superman. Tell me where my son is. Tell me where my daughter is."_

" _Mento…"_

 _The psionic hero suddenly grabbed Superman by his collar and roared in his face. "*BLEEP*DAMNIT SUPERMAN, TELL ME! TELL ME! WHAT ABOUT THE BABY?!"_

 _A hush fell over the assembled crowd. The sound of cameras clicking wasn't even present, so shocked was everyone that they forgot what they were there to record. Superman planted his eyes on the ground off to the side, his grief etched into his face._

" _I'm sorry, Mento…she lost the baby."_

The television clicked off and Robin buried his face in his hands. At the foot of his wheelchair was a small box containing two things.

The broken pieces of a figurine and an immobile kitten.

As he gazed down into the box, Robin felt the tears welling up again. In his mind, he heard only one thing.

 _Failure._


	18. One Angry Robot

**_Hello my precious readers. I'm sure you all thought I died off or went into hiding after that...abomination... Of a chapter. Truth be told, it hurt me to write it. I mean it REALLY hurt. This was the only instance in my life where I loathed being an immersive writer._**

 ** _It hurt so much that I was unable to write until the past few days._**

 ** _Yeah. That's bad lol. Still, I worked through my issues and continued this story. Its damn sure not a bright and cheery chapter, but it ends with two very satisfying things. You'll find out just what._**

 ** _I'm not doing reviews this time, mostly because it'll hurt more to read your reviews than anything._**

 ** _Now for something a bit different. Today, a few hours ago in fact, I received a lovely message from a viewer. Normally, I enjoy them. I love talking to my readers and hearing that they enjoy my stories. However, this particular message was not one of those. Instead, this reader decided to inform me that, while they praise my writing ability, nothing bad would have happened if it had been RobRae instead of BBRae. Now, I can sympathize with those who side with follow the weaker, more pathetic ship simply because they are too ignorant to know better. But this particular viewer continued to inform me about how shitty my ship is and how Beast Boy would never be good enough for Raven, only Robin would be._**

 ** _Let me inform you, viewer, of one thing._**

 ** _I'll tolerate your verbal abuse of my ship. But you will not tell me my story is shit because you support a different ship. With that being said, if you ever insult my readers and story again, I will have things done to Robin that will be so horrible that the Joker, Slade, and Trigon will come to me for advice on torture._**

 ** _You have been warned._**

 ** _Now for the rest of you...enjoy this chapter._**

* * *

 _Systems online. Running diagnostic…_

 _Error._

 _Unidentified core processor detected._

 _Scanning…_

 _Processor identified. Model number XLC17. Prototype Gigalith Omega. Serial number 47842479-42357._

 _Acknowledged. Reconfiguring…_

 _Running system check…_

" _Victor?"_

 _System analysis complete. Systems online: Motor functions, processor, recharging port, power core, optics, biomatter conversion chamber. Weapon systems offline, wireless feedback offline, communications offline, auxiliary weapons offline, MP3 offline._

" _Victor? Can you hear me?"_

 _Rebooting…3%...15%...34%...60%...99%...100%._

 _Welcome back, Cyborg._

Cyborg's eye fluttered open just seconds before his cybernetic eye flickered on. "Uhh…what happened?"

"Victor!" Someone yelled. Cyborg felt someone tackle him. His eyes still adjusting, he glanced down to find the last person he ever expected.

"D-dad?" He sputtered.

Silas Stone wrapped his arms around his metallic son, sobbing. "I can't believe I did it! I saved you! Thank God!"

Cyborg was bewildered. "Saved me? What happened?"

"You don't remember, that's right! I had to replace almost everything inside you." Silas shuddered. "Between the external force crushing your insides and the extreme radiation melting the rest, it's a miracle I was able to restore you with any kind of sentience."

Cyborg reached down and grabbed his father by the shoulders and held him at arms length. "Dad, tell me what happened!"

"Atomic Skull almost destroyed you." Silas looked away. "Your friends are pretty messed up too."

Cyborg looked around the room, noting the high tech machinery lining the walls and the immense number of parts laying around. There were enough parts in here to rebuild him four times over, though most of them looked damaged. It was almost as if his father had destroyed them in frustration. He looked down at his father once more and inspected him.

It was very apparent that Silas Stone hadn't been eating or sleeping very much. His hair was unkempt, he had huge bags under his eyes, he had lost weight, and his glasses were scratched to hell and back. His labcoat was coated in all kinds of oils, drops from soldering irons, a handful of burns, and was stained from what little food he had eaten. His hands were littered with cuts and scrapes and bruises, along with one particularly large burn stretching up his forearm.

Victor Stone, who hadn't spoken to his father in years, could only wrap his arms around the older man.

"Thanks dad." He said softly. "I'd be a goner without you."

"My obsession with work already drove you away once, Victor." Silas sobbed. "I'm a terrible father, but I'll be damned if I let you die."

Cyborg nodded and set his father back down. "Thanks dad. Seriously. Now…what about the others?"

Silas visibly cringed before motioning to the door. "It…it's best if you just see for yourself."

* * *

It took the cybernetic man everything he had to not panic as his father led the way. Wherever they were, the walls were stainless steel and were kept meticulously clean. They followed the path for a solid twenty minutes before Cyborg got his answer as to where they were.

 _We're in the Watchtower!_ He mentally exclaimed as he gazed out the window they had come upon. In the distance he could see the Earth. It was like a glittering azure jewel shining in the light of the sun. If things weren't so dire, he could probably sit there and watch the earth spin for hours.

"We're not far now from Robin's room." His father motioned to a door off in the distance. Cyborg's step quickened, easily outpacing his parent. The older man kept his steady, and reluctant, pace as his son started sprinting.

Cyborg slammed his hand down on the touch pad and burst through the door as soon as he got there. "Rob!"

Robin looked up from a box cradled in his lap and gave his friend a goofy grin. "Cyborg! I'm so happy you made it to the tea party!"

Cy slid to a halt several feet away from his team leader. His mouth agape in shock, he gawked at Robin sitting in a wheelchair. There was a _sunhat_ on his head, a cast encasing his shot leg, and another encasing his left leg and left arm. Robin started giggling.

"You know, I'm soooooo happy you're here! I thought it was just gonna be me, Lady Nevermore, and Felix supping on crumpets and tea!"

Cyborg turned to his father, who was standing in the doorway. " _What the hell is wrong with Robin?!"_

Silas Stone took a few reluctant steps in the room and looked upon the injured boy. "He's on some high grade painkillers and a light antidepressant too. We had to give them to him so that he…would stop freaking out."

"Freaking out?"

Silas nodded. "With everything that's happened, he just about cracked."

Cyborg looked at his giggling friend again. "How injured is he?"

"He has multiple compound fractures in both his left leg and left arm, along with a large number of burns. His right leg we almost had to amputate due to the bullet inside it having struck bone. It was actually in the marrow and caused an infection, but we managed to get rid of it. The sheer amount of pain he was in before arriving here would have rendered a normal person unconscious."

"How long was I out?" Victor whispered. Horror permeated every centimeter of his face upon hearing his fathers answer.

"Twelve days."

Cyborg found himself forced to hold a hand out to the wall just to stand. "What about Starfire? BB? Raven? The baby? Seemore? Jinx? Kid Flash?"

Silas looked away. "Miss Starfire…almost didn't make it. We were forced to put her in a stasis pod and return her to her home planet for treatment."

"What?! Why?! I had everything on her biology in the tower!"

"Titans Tower was annihilated during Atomic Skull and Superman's fight."

Cyborg shuddered. "Great. It'll take months to rebuild. The others?"

"Jinx and Seemore…" The older man trailed off.

"Dead!" Robin said quietly. Cyborg looked to him, finding a team leader that was starting to come down off his meds. The metallic man stepped closer to his friend and put his hand on the injured boys shoulder.

"They were nothing less than amazing Titans and awesome friends." Victors voice cracked as he struggled to not cry. Robin nodded, several tears trailing down his face. Choking up, Victor poked at the top of the box. "At least Felix made it, right?"

Robin opened the box. Cyborg looked down to find a broken statue and a stuffed kitten with a very familiar purple collar on it.

"Rob…"

"Ten days."

Cy looked at him. "Huh?"

"Felix lasted ten days with his injuries before…" Rob choked on a sob and his friend stepped away to cover his own face.

"Oh god, its going to crush Raven. She loved that cat." He said as he wiped a few tears away. He glanced back at the box. "Lady Nevermore?"

Rob nodded. "It was this really awesome statue that Beast Boy had made for Raven. He was gonna give it to her on their six month anniversary. I liked it so much that I was gonna get one for…"

Cyborg's head snapped back to find his friend shaking, tears pouring down his face. Without hesitating he wrapped his arms around Robin. "Come on bro, let it out."

"I couldn't save her." The boy wonder wept. "I couldn't do anything. I was powerless! Weak! Useless! How could I ever say that I loved her if I was too pathetic to save her?!"

"Dick, its okay man, Kori is gonna be fine. She'll be back before you know it and you know she won't blame you. There were too many for us-"

Robin tried to shove Cyborg away but failed miserably. "NO! ITS NOT OKAY! I FAILED THEM! I FAILED MY TEAM! EVERYONE'S ALMOST DEAD BECAUSE I WASN'T PREPARED! I FAILED THEM, VIC! SEYMOUR AND JENNIFER ARE DEAD! FELIX IS DEAD! RAVEN AND BEAST BOY ARE COMATOSE! AND…."

Robin trailed off and Cyborg pulled back.

"Comatose? Whaddaya mean?"

Robin shook his head before burying his face in his one good hand. "Just…go see them, Vic. Maybe you can snap them out of it."

* * *

Dread permeated every iota of Cyborg's being as he walked down the hall. His meeting with Robin left him hurting in ways he didn't know he could hurt. Jinx was gone and he'd never been able to tell her that he was sorry about what had happened between them. Seemore had been a good buddy. Starfire, his little sister, was back on her home planet. There was no telling if he'd ever see her again. While he had never particularly gotten along with the furball, Cyborg was sorry to see Felix gone as well. The kitten hadn't deserved to die. His friends hadn't either. Rob was a mess. He'd seen too much in the past week. No telling when he'd recover. As for Beast Boy and Raven…

The mechanical man slammed his fist into the wall out of frustration, causing it to buckle inwards. Comatose? What could have happened while he was out? How could he let those stupid damn robots kick his ass like that? How could he have let Atomic Skull drop him with a single damned hit?!

"Damnit!" He growled, slinging his fist into another wall panel. With a crunch, it too buckled under the might of his cybernetic limbs. He leaned against the wall, his rage fading into grief. He had failed his little brother. He had failed his little sister. He had failed his god-child. He had failed his family.

Some was going to _pay_.

Brother Blood, for damn sure. And Scarecrow, Doctor Light, the Joker, and _definitely_ Atomic Skull.

If Cyborg had to install that damned chip in himself again just to bring them down…then so be it.

His resolve set in stone, Victor Stone headed further down the hall until he reached a door with a damaged nameplate. Where it had once read 'Recovery Room', the plate had been ripped off and scribbled over with a sharpie.

 _Beast Boy and Raven_

The handwriting was unmistakably Robin's. Cyborg grinned.

Knocking on the door softly, he waited for a moment. No sound came forth, so he hit the keypad and stepped through. The room was dark, the lights dimmed considerably. There were two separate beeping noises, indicating that his friends were both hooked up to machines. Since he had never gotten around to installing night vision in his cybernetic eye, Cy was forced to turn the light up.

He quickly wished that he hadn't.

The first thing he found was Beast Boy floating in some sort of glass tank. There were dozens of tubes hooked up to him in there, along with some strange sleeve-like covering that encased the bulk of his body. What the heck it was, he had no idea.

He approached the device and touched a screen. It flared to life, revealing dozens of charts and stats indicating that his friend was mostly stable. But _what_ had happened was beyond him.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Cyborg started flicking through all the records of Beast Boy's treatment. The results were nothing less than awful.

When his friend had first been brought in, he was on the verge of death via radiation poisoning and extreme blunt force trauma to his internal organs. By pure luck, Captain Atom was in the Watchtower when the Titans arrived. He absorbed the bulk of the radiation from them, but the damage to the changeling had been catastrophic on an atomic level. During the course of his radiation poisoning, Beast Boy's body had attempted to evolve to survive.

Despite the boys inexplicable ability to adapt, he simply couldn't adjust to the radiation. As a result, his body had _liquefied_. A short video feed of that almost made Cyborg vomit as he watched his friend turn into a puddle of green goop on the medical table.

Miracles were high in demand that day and the Justice League most certainly delivered.

Of all the hero's to respond to Beast Boys bizarre transformation, it was Superman and Doctor Fate who saved his life. Fate cast a series of spells that somehow stabilized the changeling into his human form. Afterwards, Superman took him to the Fortress of Solitude and placed him inside a highly advanced medical chamber that was configured to Beast Boys DNA. Spending nine days in that device had left the boy as he was now. The tube he was in was a smaller version of the chamber belonging to Superman and it had kept his friend stabilized ever since.

As he scanned the data, Cyborg paused. Something was off about Beast Boy's body measurements. He was 5'5', not 5'10, 130 pounds, not 178.

He glanced at his friend and scanned him. Sure enough, the new measurements were accurate. Did the liquefaction process speed up his growth spurt? He almost looked like that Brave version of himself, but with less muscles. Cyborg was certain Raven would enjoy the new height difference. He knew she secretly enjoyed being shorter than her boyfriend, seeing as she had once said _'it just means that I'm closer to his heart'_.

Thinking of the empath jolted the metal man from his amusement. He cast his eyes about the room towards a curtained off bed nearby. There was a soft beeping coming from behind it. The sound filled Cy with dread as he silently approached it. His footsteps sounded like quiet raindrops compared to the pounding of his heart. How bad was Raven? How was the baby? Did the radiation affect them too?

Cyborg reached out a trembling hand and pushed the curtain aside. The clinking of the rings atop the cloth echoed loudly to him.

Before him was Raven, tucked neatly into her bed. There was an IV in her arm, keeping her hydrated. She was far more pale than he had ever seen her before and she looked so tiny.

Wait. Tiny?

Victor's mouth ran dry as he very slowly pat Raven's belly, looking for something that wasn't there.

 _The baby was gone_.

His legs buckled beneath him and with a loud thud, Cyborg dropped to his knees. He covered his face as the tears started flowing.

 _Raven had lost the baby_.

* * *

Two days.

Two whole days of repairs and upgrades. Far too long for Cyborgs liking, but it necessary.

As he stomped through the Watchtower, his mind was only in one place. Jump City. He would start there and find Doctor Light.

"What are you planning to do, Cyborg?" A dark voice said behind him. The cybernetic man turned and found Batman staring at him questioningly.

"I need to find my car." The lie came easily to him, his anger towards the villains overpowering any other emotion.

The dark knight stared at him long and hard before a ghost of a smile graced his face.. "Happy hunting."

Cyborg smiled. If _Batman_ wasn't going to interfere, then the rest of the League wouldn't either.

* * *

Teleporting always left him with a queasy stomach. When done being queasy, he was always hungry. And what better way to start a hunt than with a feast?

At least, that's what Cyborg told himself as he scarfed down his third McMeaty Mega Burger, a foot tall burger with five patties, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onion rings. As he paused to slurp down a quarter of his Pepsi, he gazed out the window of the restaurant thoughtfully. He had been in the city for six hours already but there was no sign of Doctor Light at all. Normally, he wasn't hard to find but it was possible that the presence of the Doom Patrol had scared him underground. He couldn't quite blame the villain for hiding. Mento and Elastigirl had been particularly ruthless during their stay. Mento had broken Mumbo Jumbo, Mother Mae Eye, and Plasmus, while Elastigirl had crushed Cinderblock, Adonis, Killer Moth, and Ding Dong Daddy.

It was a damn wonder any villains even stayed in town with those two rampaging about.

Still, Light hadn't been found, so Cyborg couldn't-

 _Huh?_ Cyborg thought to himself. _When did that Red X boomerang get there?_

The object in question was casually sitting on the outside windowsill, as if it had been there the entire time. Since he hadn't really been paying attention, he hadn't noticed anyone passing by. But if this was here…

Within two minutes he finished his food and ran out the door. He cast his eyes about the area. Other than civvies and cars, there was nothing there. Nothing at all…

His cybernetic eye picked up movement at the edge of a rooftop at the end of the block. Rewinding the image in his head, he saw the flicker of a black cloak.

"What the hell is he up to?" Cyborg muttered to himself as started running down the street. He was the _last_ person who wanted to chase the elusive thief, but a criminal is a criminal.

Four blocks of barely seen flickering cloaks later, Cyborg found himself winded in a construction yard. To his left was a large pile of steel girders; to his right, various heavy machinery and the first two framed floors of a building.

Perfect place for an ambush.

"I know you're here, X!" He called out. "Might as well stop hiding."

"Loud as ever, eh Chrome Dome?" A synthesized voice chuckled from the top floor. "Good to see at least one of you guys up and about."

"Uh huh, like I'd believe that you're happy to see me."

"Better you than those Doom Patrol wackjobs."

Cyborg shrugged. "Can't really blame them, can you?"

There was a moment of quiet before a synthesized sigh sounded. "No…I suppose not. How…how are the others?"

Cyborg's lone eyebrow rose. "What's it matter to you, villain?"

Red X appeared on the top girder and sat down. His legs swung carelessly as he scolded the Titan before him. "I am _not_ a villain. I'm just a thief. Plain and simple."

"Pft, like I believe that."

X shrugged. "I don't care if you do or don't. But I suppose next time I run across a signal jammer, I'll just keep going."

Cyborg gaped at him. "You're the one who destroyed it?"

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

Red X looked at him for a good minute before replying. "If they take you guys out, they run the town. Its easier to deal with you guys."

Cyborg scowled. "Always thinking of yourself."

"Of course."

"X, will you quit dickin' around and tell him already?"

Cyborg whirled around, cannons armed, towards the feminine voice. Sitting against the steel girders on the ground was _Ravager_!

"Easy there, Tin Man. I'm with Red for now." She patted the air, hoping he'd lower his twin sonic cannons. Cyborg snarled.

"Why the hell would I believe you?!"

Behind her Slade-style mask, the girl rolled her eyes. "I owe Red X for saving my life after your angry green friend smashed me into the wall like a bug."

The cybernetic man turned back towards the thief, a questioning look on he face. "You tryin' to go hero on us?"

A cold synthesized voice responded. "No chance in hell. And trust me, I've been there once."

His eye still quirked, Cyborg glanced at the assassin. "So what do you two want?"

"Doctor Light is located three blocks south of here, in the basement of an old warehouse that actually belongs to him, legally."

"Sounds like you're trying to set me up." Cyborg crossed his arms as they returned to normal.

Red X shrugged. "Could have done that a dozen times already."

"So why are you helping me?"

Just before the thief seemingly disappeared into thin air, he only spoke four chilling words.

"Because I _hate_ clowns."

* * *

Although skeptical of the criminals honesty, Cyborg nonetheless heeded the advice and struck off to the south. Unfortunately, Ravager also disappeared, which left the robotic man more than a little paranoid. He made sure to keep an eye peeled at all times.

Huffing and puffing (and dearly wishing he had a house of meat to blow down and eat), Cyborg arrived at his destination some time later. He stood before a large, weather-beaten warehouse. Most of the steel siding was rusted over and there where hundreds of rust holes leading inside. There were no intact windows left, but there was a very old sign that read _Light's Commercial Electronics_. Below it was the slogan _If it's seen the light of day, we've got it!_. Below that was a listing of all sorts of things including office fax machines, projectors, and industrial washing machines.

This made Cyborg pause. The washing machine the tower used to have had an old, faded sticker on it that said _Light's Commercial Electronics_ , but he had bought it at a flea market from an old man years ago…

He facedpalmed, realizing for the first time that he had bought something from a villain.

But the bad part was that the price was practically a steal! Seriously, a quarter of the original price? How could he pass it up?

Shaking his head, Cy approached the door. It looked to be the only thing in decent shape.

It was locked. How ironic.

Pulling his fingers back like he flicked marbles as a kid, he sent the whole door handle rocketing through the front office. It struck the far wall with a crack that reverberated throughout the building. Not giving a damn about stealth, he stomped through the doorways. He passed dozens of dissected electronics along the way as he wandered through the office, then even more as he stepped through to the warehouse proper. It was obvious that the place had gone out of business, but why hadn't the stocked stuff been sold?

"Adonis, do you have to be so damned loud? I almost dropped my particle accelerator." An older voice called out.

Cyborg clucked his tongue loud enough to make it sound like he was the armoured villain as he continued his way through the maze.

"Yes, I know you don't care, _boy_ , but we need to get these suits ready before the damned Doom Patrol finds me. Where the hell have you been anyways? I thought you weren't going to leave until we were done? How could you leave me here with those psychos running around? " There was a pause, in which Cy figured the old man shuddered. "They'll have my head for sure."

Cyborg came around the last large pile of scraps, a dark grin on his face. "Not before I do."

Doctor Light, dressed in only the cloth part of his combat suit, slowly looked up from the huge mechanical arm on the table before him. There was a suit rather similar to the one Adonis wore on the table, albeit in pieces. Curiously enough, it appeared that the good doctor was upgrading the suit to have the light producing technology he himself used. It would make Adonis a formidable villain instead of a pain in the ass.

Hold the phone.

On a table behind Light was _another_ suit, but this one was intact. It also looked a bit smaller, which meant that this one was for Light himself.

His hands buried in the mechanical arm, Doctor Light could only stare at the Titan in horror before Cyborg blasted him.

With a painful grunt, the old villain was launched across the room. He bounced once, twice, three times before slamming into a wall. Cyborg nonchalantly reverted his arm to its normal form and approached the work tables. Right there in front of Light's eyes, the cybernetic man ripped apart every piece of both suits. The old man struggled to sit up as Cyborg turned towards him.

"N-now Cyborg, I know you're angry-" Light stuttered.

Cyborg interrupted him. "Angry? Oh, I'm _way_ beyond angry."

"L-let's not do anything hasty!" Light whimpered as he began to crawl away. The wall beside him exploded, causing him to cower beneath the following cannon fire.

Cyborg stared at the man coldly. "You know, Doctor Light, things weren't even all that bad around here. The villains and Titans never seriously hurt each other and I don't recall any casualties except Slade and Terra. It was a good system. But then you guys crossed the line."

"B-b-but-"

"Shut your damned mouth." Cyborg spat. "My friends lost their lives because of you people. Raven lost her _baby._ "

Light raised his head from under his arms and gaped at the Titan. "Raven was pregnant?!"

Snarling, Cyborg snatched the old man up and slammed him into the wall. "Yes! Five months! And you bastards _tortured_ her!"

Each word was punctuated with a hard slam into the wall, followed by the villain being thrown through it. He bounced across the small lot behind the warehouse before slamming into a dumpster. Spitting up a bit of blood, Doctor Light tried to scramble to his feet to escape.

A heavy metallic fist smashed into his back, sending the old man back to the ground with a cry of pain. Light, certain he had several broken ribs, rolled onto his back to find a sonic cannon pointed directly at his face.

"Cyborg! You're a hero! You can't do this!" He pleaded. As he looked up into the Titans' eyes, he found that there was more mercy in the cybernetic eye than the real one.

It was a long time before Cyborg spoke but when he did it was nothing Light wanted to hear.

"You're right. I have a better idea."

* * *

Cyborg literally _dragged_ the villain across town in chains. He didn't care if the civilians saw him. He didn't notice the cops turn a blind eye. He didn't hear random low profile criminals utter a prayer for Light as they passed. And he most certainly didn't see how much pain his prisoner was in.

Not that he would have cared.

Instead, his eyes were only on one thing: the Doom Patrol headquarters.

It took some time, but they reached it. A nondescript old office building repainted black and purple, it stood out like a sore thumb. In truth it was painted such as a challenge. If any villain thought they were tough enough to take on the Doom Patrol, they were welcome to try.

None had succeeded.

Passing through traffic, Cyborg drug his prisoner through the front door and then through the unused lobby. Unfortunately, there were a lot of doors that lead to empty rooms, which left him wandering through the bottom floor for half an hour before he found the stairs.

He didn't hesitate to drag his prisoner up the stairs.

Mere minutes later, he finally found the room he was certain they were in. The new cables and electronics were kind of a dead giveaway, but he had double checked other rooms beforehand just in case.

"Cyborg?" A deep voice called out. "I wasn't aware you were up and about."

"I've been online for a couple of days." Cyborg responded, standing in the doorways. He held the chain behind his back for the moment.

"That's good to hear." Mento said plainly. Cy could tell the older hero was exhausted. He had big bags under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped. It looked like the stress of the past two weeks was making him age rapidly.

"You look a bit rough, Mento." Cy nodded in sympathy. Mento nodded and jerked his head to the right. Cyborg followed the movement and found Elastigirl passed out on a couch, Robotman powered down and charging in the corner, and Negativeman lounging in a chair.

The cybernetic man smiled darkly. "I brought ya something you might like."

Mento's eyebrow rose, so Cyborg jerked hard on the chain behind him. Doctor Light cane stumbling into the room, panting heavily and covered in cuts and bruises. Mento's eyes turned cold immediately as he stood up from his seat and slowly made his way over there.

"I know you." He murmured thoughtfully.

Light trembled. "N-no! We've never met and I don't know anyone you know!"

Mento sent a telepathic probe deep into the mind of the villain. Light screamed in pain, for Mento was _anything_ but gentle. After a long moment, the older hero ceased his intrusion.

" _You_!" Mento spat as he snatched the villain up by his throat.

Cyborg took this as his cue to leave. As he stomped away, he could still hear the conversation.

"No! You can't! You're heroes!" Light whimpered.

"No. We're the Doom Patrol. We're _family._ " Mento said darkly. " _And you killed my grandchild."_

* * *

Just as the last of Doctor Lights life faded from his body some hours later, a pair of amethyst eyes flickered open.

"Gar? Where are you?"


	19. Frying Pan, Meet Fire

_**Hello hello my dear readers. I'm so glad to see you're all still here with me on this...well...fucked up roller coaster.**_

 _ **I didn't think I'd ever make it to this point, simply because it felt so far away. But here we are, eh?**_

 _ **I'd do reviews, but its getting hard to keep track of who said what and to be frank, my fingers are killing me (I write on my phone these days).**_

 _ **Still, there is one thing I can say about this chapter.**_

 _ **Its hectic. It feels rushed because, from the characters point of view, everything kind of just blows up in their faces. Its not a happy chapter.**_

 _ **Before you say anything, yes, things will get better.**_

 _ **But that's not until the next chapter.**_

 _ **Read and review please!**_

* * *

Darkness.

The polar opposite of brightness, the light. It is understood to be the condition of a very small amount or even the very absence of visible light. Humans, in their finite wisdom and worldly knowledge, are unable to distinguish color in conditions of high brightness or utter darkness. In these conditions, there are few ways to interpret and appropriately respond to this. Generalized responses include panicking and stressful flailing about. Lesser reactions tend to lurk in the dark, almost basking in the decadent radiance that is borderline nothingness.

But what of those who simply sit in the dark?

They move not, for there is nothing to move to. They worry not, for they see all as the end. They do not panic, for there is nothing to fear. They do not lurk, for that implies something is coming.

All they do is sit.

They sit, for there is nothing. There is no light for them, no shining beacon of hope, no radiant warmth, no everlasting recompense for good things done while dwelling the light.

Hope. Joy. Love. Bliss. Happiness. Friends. Family. Lovers. Companions. Pets. Home. Safety. Protection. Life.

There is nothing.

All she sees is darkness.

She did not know how long she sat there, for she did not track the time. She did not know how often she ate, for she tasted none of the food that passed her lips. She did not know who visited her, for her mind held nothing but darkness.

Her baby was gone and so was her lover.

One died and the other left a veritable vegetable.

Though the irony did not escape her, she did not laugh.

There was nothing to laugh about, for there was nothing.

If there was nothing here…then why should she stay?

* * *

Robin quietly wheeled himself into Beast Boy and Raven's room. It had been a week and a half since the empath had awoke, but she was almost as comatose now as she was before. She spoke very little, ate only because she was fed, and only left the bed to relieve herself. It had taken her several days to relearn how to walk, for the rebar hadn't only punctured her organs, but had shattered her spinal cord and tailbone as well.

Robin once again thanked the heavens that Superman's machine had repaired her bones as well as her organs. The Man of Steel had offered the Boy Wonder the opportunity to use it, but Robin had declined. He wanted to be readily available when his friends woke up.

"Hello Robin." Ravens soft but emotionless voice called out. It made the Boy Wonder cringe. Over the years he had grown accustomed to her monotonous tone being the voice of reason in the group. Over the past few months he had grown to enjoy her expressing more and more as Beast Boy made her more and more happy.

But now…there was nothing in her voice. Not even monotony.

"Hey Raven." He called out. "Just coming to check up on you…hungry?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I could use a bit of sustenance."

Robin brightened up. This was the first time she had actually acknowledged needing to eat. Maybe she was getting better?

"What sounds good?" He asked almost giddily.

"Sliced red apples and Colby Jack cheese cubes will suffice."

 _That's an odd request, but hot damn, this is progress!_ Robin thought to himself as he wheeled out of the room as quickly as he could. He made his way down several corridors and two elevators before he reached the cafeteria. Once there, he requisitioned the food from the hero on duty, the Phantom Stranger. In minutes he had the food and was wheeling himself back to his friend.

Along the way he ran over the foot of Cyborg, who had just returned from Jump City. The mechanical man had been working on rebuilding Titans Tower, but it was slow progress for one guy.

"Oooh, apples and cheese!" Cy said hungrily, reaching for the food. Robin smacked his hand, scowling.

"Go get your own! This is for Raven!"

Cyborg drew his hand back. "Fine, fine. Who'd you get them from?"

Robin blinked several times in confusion. "I…I don't rember."

Cyborg rolled his eyes and stomped away while muttering. Robin shrugged and continued his trek. Whomever gave him the apples and cheese would probably give some to Cy too. Humming merrily to himself, he hit the switch to the door to his friends room.

But Raven was gone.

* * *

Cyborg had his mouth full of apples when Robin called his communicator screaming about Raven being missing. His big brother sense going berserk, the cybernetic man scrambled for the nearest computer console. Within a minute he was rapidly cycling through camera feeds. Robin was still yelling as he zoomed through the hallways. The trip for the crippled young man couldn't have been longer than thirty minutes and none of the intruder alarms had gone off.

So where had Raven disappeared to?

He got his answer moments later.

Opening his arm panel, he called to his friend. "Rob! She's in the main room with Batman!"

Without waiting for a response, he thundered out of the cafeteria and towards the nearest elevator.

* * *

 _What the hell is going on?!_ Robin mentally screamed to himself as he rounded a corner on one wheel.

The wheeled crusader barreled down the corridor without the slightest bit of caution. All of his senses were screaming that something bad was happening but he couldn't figure out what. Why did Raven disappear from the infirmary? Why was she with Batman? Why had she tricked him like that?

The sound of thundering footsteps caught his attention as Cyborg caught up to his friend. They never stopped moving, but traded a worried nod.

It took them several more minutes, but they reached the main room and burst through the door yelling for the empath.

Raven, dressed in blue jeans and a white t shirt gotten from who knows where, turned from her conversation with the Dark Knight and addressed them plainly. "It seems your trip was shorter than expected."

"Raven! What the hell! Don't scare me like that!" Robin shouted at her.

"Yeah Rae, if you wanted to go somewhere you coulda told me. Idda taken you." Cyborg panted.

"The point of the deception was for neither of you to know where I was going."

Robin and Cyborg stared at her in openmouthed shock. Before either could respond, Raven spoke again.

"My powers are gone." She said softly.

"Gone?" Robin said slowly. "What do you mean?"

"They are gone." Raven said in her emotionless tone.

Cyborg waved his hands in the air frantically. "Powers just don't poof and leave, Raven!"

"Of course not." Came the blank response. "My powers were tethered to the baby. When it died, my powers went with it."

"That doesn't explain where you seem to think you are going!" Robin snapped and immediately regretted it. Raven, however, did not react to his outburst.

"The explanation is simple. I am leaving." When both boys looked at her like she'd gone stark raving mad, she gave them a little shrug. "Logically, this is the best decision. With no powers and no years of physical conditioning like you, Robin, I am useless to the team."

"B-but what about Garfield?" Cyborg sputtered. "You can't just leave him behind, you're his whole world!"

Raven shook her head. "A dead world is fit for nothing."

"Huh?" Robin frowned.

"My emotions were always tied to my powers." She said softly.

Both boys understood what she was saying this time and both protested immediately.

"You just can't give up like that!"

"Raven! You can't-"

She interrupted them. "You have no say in the matter. I am leaving."

"Please don't leave, Rae. I can't lose you too." A weak voice called out from behind them. Whirling around, Cyborg and Robin found Beast Boy being held up by none other than Kid Flash. Both teens had known the speedster was in the Watchtower, but he had confined himself to a room and rarely came out. Judging from the bags under his eyes and his thinning frame, he had been grieving over Jinx.

"You will learn to move on, Beast Boy." Raven said gently. "There is no sense on waiting for someone who cannot feel."

The changeling, breathing heavily and a paler green than normal, shook his head and stared at her. "I will _never_ move on from you, Raven."

She turned away. "Do as you wish."

With that, the former empath nodded at Batman. The Dark Knight pressed a few buttons on a large console before him. With a flash of light, Raven disappeared.

* * *

It was several minutes before anyone spoke. When it did happen, it was none other than Batman who broke the silence.

"Cyborg, return Beast Boy and Kid Flash to their rooms." He said curtly. Robin glared at his mentor, his dagger filled eyes boring holes into the older caped crusader. Cyborg hesitated, which made Batman bark his order out once more.

As soon as the three teens were out of the room, the Dark Knight turned to his protégé and stared at him. "Yes Robin?"

"Why did you let her leave?" Robin was trying to keep his cool but his self-control slipped as his next words came out in a growl. "Why didn't you stop her?"

"She's hurting, Dick."

"We're all hurting, Bruce! That doesn't-"

"She lost the baby. She lost part of _herself_. Do you what that feels like? If you do, then tell _me_." Batman snapped. "Neither you nor I can comprehend the pain she's in. Even _she_ doesn't understand it. She needs to be left alone to _heal_."

"That doesn't mean you send her off to God-knows-where! What if she runs into someone who recognizes her?! What if she runs into a villain?! How is she supposed to defend herself like that?!" Robin shouted. His anger was finally getting the best of him as he struggled to get out of his wheel chair. He was gonna kick Batman's ass even if it broke both his legs.

"What makes you think she'll be unsupervised?" Batman said evenly. His voice betrayed no emotion.

"Who's watching her?"

"That's none of your concern"

"THE HELL IT ISNT!"

"Richard. Shut. Up."

Robin stared at his mentor. He stared for a long, long time before he spoke.

"You act so high and mighty, but where were you when the attack was going down? Where were you during the Brotherhood fiasco? Trigons summoning? Slade taking over Jump City?" The boy wonder was beyond caring about overstepping his boundaries. "Tell me, _Batman_ , where were you when we needed you?"

"I can't do everything for you, Dick." The Dark Knight said softly. "I can't be everywhere. What happened with the attack on you was out of my hands. The signal jammer more than just a jammer. It was a misdirector. It sent us signals that all was well in Jump City. We had no idea what was going on until it went down. It was only then that we received the SOS signal. Believe me, Dick, when I say that I monitor _all_ communications concerning Titans."

Robin wordlessly turn his chair and wheeled for the door. But when he got there, he spoke quietly.

"You keep her safe. When she's ready to come back, _you bring her back._ If you don't…then we're done. All of us."

* * *

As the door clicked shut, Batman turned to the console once more. He pressed several buttons that sent out two signals. Within moments, two separate calls were linked.

"You're on." The Dark Knight said simply. The first voice cheerfully acknowledged the order whilst the other sullenly accepted it. He knew the owner of the second voice wasn't particularly pleased with their mission, but they would do it.

He cut both calls and sat down heavily in an office chair. His head bowed down to meet his hand as he relieved a memory.

" _Great Hera…they're just children." Wonder Woman murmured. "How could Skull do this to children?"_

 _I look around the rubble that was once Robin's armory and shake my head. "I don't know, Diana."_

 _At my feet are the broken forms of Robin and Starfire._

 _My greatest pupil, my son, my pride and joy, and his girlfriend._

 _I wasn't here for them. I wasn't prepared for such an attack on them. I failed them._

" _X'hal!" A voice croaks out. My eyes instantly snap downwards, where Starfire has opened a single eye and is staring at Wonder Woman intently. I glance at Diana, but she has no idea who X'Hal is either._

" _X'Hal…please forgive me for being weak. Please, do not let my friends die. Please…do not let Robin die..." The alien princess murmured as she began to fade into unconsciousness again._

 _Diana knelt down and wrapped her arms around the girl, her voice gentle. "Worry not, my child. You have fought very well. I am proud of you. Rest and be easy, for your comrades will live to see another day."_

 _I see a tear trail down the princess's cheek as darkness consumes her. Even unconscious, Robin seems to sense this and clutches her tighter._

" _What of the others?" Diana asks softly._

 _I shake my head. I don't even want to think about what had happened to them._

 _Because I had failed them too._

* * *

It was the first time she had teleported nonmagically and it had left Raven feeling a tad queasy. This was to be expected of course, since the teleportation worked via rearranging molecules and transporting them at a speed faster than light.

Her hands on her knees, Raven gasped as her stomach lurched too and fro as if it were a ship in a storm. Had she any food in her belly, she might have heaved it up.

"Well, you're a lovely young thing. Much like the last one Batman sent me." A lovely voice called out.

The former empath looked up sharply to find a beautiful blonde haired woman in a black dress watching her with amused eyes. She looked around to find that she was in a sparsely furnished room with white walls and carpet. The woman was seated on a plain white couch.

"Where am I? This isn't the monastery I asked Batman to send me to."

The woman laughed. "Of course not, my dear. You think Bats would listen to you? I've known _both_ sides of him for years and he still doesn't listen to me."

Raven turned her gaze to the woman and spoke plainly. "Then who are you?"

"My name is Selina Kyle and I'm here to help you." The woman smiled.

"How so?"

"I'm going to get you a room in an assisted living complex and from there you will attend Gotham City Highschool. I'm certain you're intelligent enough to complete your education and find a path from there."

The violet haired girl stared blankly at the older woman. "Why?"

"Because if you stay broken then you'll still need to be able to live." Selina said softly.

"That's why I wanted to go to the monastery."

A smirk graced the already beautiful face in front of Raven as Selina held out a little box. "Too bad. Now, take this necklace and wear it at all times. It will act as both a disguise via hologram and a tracking device should something happen to you."

The woman obviously meant no harm, so Raven took the box from her. Upon opening it, she found a sterling silver chain with a silver paw print pendant. Within the center of the footpad was a single letter.

G.

Raven glanced at the strange woman, who's smirk grew wider. "It stands for _good luck_."

The violet haired girl turned her gaze back towards the pendant and traced the letter with her thumb. She knew what it really meant, but she wasn't sure what it was meant to mean. Was it to remember him? Was it to remember what she lost? Was it there to remind her of what was waiting for her?

It was food for thought at another time.

Wordlessly, she pulled the necklace on and clasped it. There was a strange and brief tingly sensation as the hologram flickered on. She looked down at her hands. They were no longer a pale grey, but a common light tan.

"Here."

Raven looked up to find Selina holding a mirror out to her. The former empath took the mirror and turned it upon her face. Her purple hair was now raven black (the irony was not lost upon her) and her eyes were a deep and dark oceanic blue. Her smooth and unblemished face remained the same, albeit the same light tan of her hands.

"Now we need a name for you." Selina pulled a small note pad from her purse and reclined backwards.

Raven was quiet for a few minutes. "Roth for the last name. My mothers last name was Roth."

The blonde woman quirked an eyebrow. "Any relation to pastor Johnathan Roth?"

Raven shrugged. "I don't know."

"Rachel Roth it is then."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Rachel?"

Selina shrugged. "It was the first thing that came to mind and it fits you."

Raven shrugged in return. "It matters not."

Selina softly snorted then stood up. "Come along then."

* * *

"Hey man…how you doin'?"

Beast Boy turned his head slowly to look up at Cyborg, who was reasonably worried. The changeling hadn't said a word since Raven had left some hours before. All he did was lay in her bed and soak in her scent.

"She's gone, Vic. How do you think I feel?" He said softly.

"She…she just needs some time, bro. She went through a lot."

"I know…I was there."

Cyborg gulped. His best buddy, his little bro, was falling like a boulder off a cliff into depression. He had to do _something_.

"So, um, any…anything you wanna do?" He asked, flailing about for some sort of distraction.

"It was the Beast."

Cyborg's eyebrow rose. "Huh?"

Beast Boy's eyes half closed in a blank stare. "It was the Beast that woke me up. He was screaming that our mate was gone, that we had to find her. He told me that our cub was gone too…"

The cybernetic man glanced at the healing pod his friend had been in. It was quite obvious that the Beast had forced their way out of the pod in a frenzied panic. The glass was broken, the machine was smashed, and the door had to be replaced. But their exhausted state forced them back into Garfield's form. With newly formed muscles that had never been used, the changeling had struggled mightily to follow Raven's scent.

Fortunately, help arrived in the form of Kid Flash.

The speedster had heard all the commotion and come to investigate. Upon finding his green friend, he immediately helped out. While he himself wasn't in the best of shape, due to his grieving, he took Beast Boy to the main room as fast as their wayward bodies could move.

"Look man…" Cy trailed off, not entirely sure if he should offer this info. "I'm not sure if this'll make you feel better…but Mento got ahold of Doctor Light."

"I hope he killed him."

Cyborg flinched at the raw anger in his friends voice. "…Yeah, he did. The Doom Patrol has Jump City pretty much on lockdown with crime."

Beast Boy's eyes turned dark. "What about Atomic Skull, Scarecrow, and the Joker?"

"Superman whupped the shit outta Skull…but the other two got away…no one's seem them since the attack."

"Is that so?" The changeling said softly. He was lost in thought for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Hey Cy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry."

Cyborg grinned. _That_ sounded like his buddy. "Whatchu want man? They got all kinds of vege-"

"Meat."

The cybernetic man's grin faded. "Huh?"

Beast Boy looked dead at his friend, his eyes pupil-less like when he was the Beast.

"You heard me, Victor. I want meat."

* * *

The girl now legally known as Rachel Roth peered out of the car window blankly. She had spent the past few hours jumping through hoops for her legal verification, followed by registering into the school system, and ended in buying clothes. Selina had chattered the whole time, but Raven had heard very little of the conversation. Its not that she was mentally preoccupied; it was that she just wasn't listening.

"Well…here we are." Selina said as she brought her car to a stop.

Raven looked out the window towards a building labeled **Wayne's Home For Wayward Girls**. It was only two stories tall, a little brick building of a boring square design with boring trimmings, and boring surrounding buildings. To the left of the building was a little food mart, to the right a bookstore. Technically an ideal place for a book lover like herself, but she did not feel a draw to the bookstore like she might have a few weeks ago.

"How quaint." She said tonelessly.

Selina rolled her eyes. This kid would take some serious work to fix.

It took them several minutes to get all the bags out of the car and take them inside. Upon opening the door, they were greeted by a lobby that contained a desk with a clerk, an old TV on a stand, and five chairs. There were two blonde punk rocker girls, probably sixteen or seventeen years old, lounging in the chairs. They paid Raven no mind whatsoever but waved at Selina. The older woman smiled and waved back.

The clerk at the desk was an older black woman in a plain white dress with a nametag that read _Mrs. Wanda_. She looked up from the book she was reading, only mildly surprised to see them.

"Back so soon, Miss Kyle? I see you found another stray." Mrs. Wanda said in a slightly contemptuous tone.

Selina smiled, though it was dimmed by the daggers in her eyes. "Something like that, yes. Now, I have the paperwork for her right here, so I'd like to get her settled in soon."

The older woman took the sheaf of papers from Selina and started reading them. After a few minutes, she glanced up at Raven. "Rachel Roth? Any relation to pastor Johnathon Roth?"

Raven shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of."

Shrugging, Mrs. Wanda tossed the papers on the desk. "I'll put you in the system later. The only room we have open is with a troublemaking girl named Janette Lucksworth. She's a sweet girl, but ever since Selina here dropped her off a few weeks ago, she's picked three fights and won three fights. The other girls won't go near her."

"That's fine." Raven gave a little shrug. "I'm antisocial, so it doesn't bother me."

Mrs. Wanda quirked an eyebrow at the young girl before her before shrugging. "Alright. Come along."

As the older woman led the two younger ones through the halls and up one floor, she laid down some rules. Curfew is ten, no boys allowed after eight, any visitors have to leave the unit open so that they can be freely observed (meaning no secret sexual trysts), no pets, no loud music, no drugs, no alcohol, no gambling, and no stealing.

It almost felt like a juvenile hall to the disguised girl, but she could tell that wasn't the case. The building, while dull, was clean and none of the girls she saw seemed to have a bad attitude.

 _Dig through the ditches_

 _And burn through the witches_

 _I slam in the back of my_

 _Dracula!_

Raven's head snapped to the source of the heavy metal music playing, a door that read _Janette_. Mrs. Wanda was standing outside of it, rubbing her head in irritation. She tried yelling through the door. When that didn't work, she began to beat it with her fist.

After a moment the music cut off and the door opened. The girl at the door was Indian (not Native American), her dark skin and black, slightly frizzy hair pulled back in twin ponytails. She had an angular, almost catlike face and her eyes were almond shaped. She was wearing yellow yoga pants and a black Slayer T-shirt.

"Hey Miss Wanda, what's up?" She said in a voice that held no trace of her heritage.

"You have a new roommate." The old black woman huffed. "And what did I tell you about blasting that crazy shit?"

"Ah, come off it you old hag. Its good music and you know it." Janette scoffed. She turned and looked at Raven. There was something familiar about the girl, but she couldn't place what it was.

"Hey, what's up roomie? I'm Janette."

"Hello. I'm Rav-" Raven caught herself and cleared her throat. "I'm Rachel."

Janette nodded. "Neat. Let's get you moved in then."

It was actually a pretty big room with two beds and a fair sized bathroom. Raven had her own dressed and wall space to add another dresser, a desk, or a bookshelf. While she had never shared a room with anyone aside from Garfield, she felt oddly comfortable on the presence of this girl. After they unpacked the boxes of clothes and repacked them into her dresser, Selina and Mrs. Wanda left.

"So what's your story?" Janette asked as she flopped back onto her bed, which was decorated with red and yellow blankets and sheets. The colors reminded Raven of Kid Flash. It was quite possible Janette was one of his fan girls.

"I lost everything." Raven said simply. There was no need to tell this stranger her life's story.

"Yeah…me too."

Raven glanced at the girl, who was fingering a lightning bolt necklace idly. She seemed lost in a lonely thought, so Raven left her alone.

She lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling for quite some time. How long, she wasn't certain. It was only when her stomach demanded food that she decided to get up.

"What's with the paw print?"

Raven directed her gaze downwards, where she found the pendant in her hand. She didn't remember grasping it, or even thinking about it. She hadn't thought of anything, really.

"It…it is a momento. Of the things I've lost." Raven said slowly.

Janette stared at her for a few minutes before shrugging. "Lets go get something to eat."

Without really knowing why, Raven followed this strange girl.

* * *

"No way, fuck that. I'm getting hell out of dodge." A voice shouted into the dark. It was punctuated by a fist slamming into a table, sending drinks bouncing everywhere.

The Joker brushed off a few peanut shells and glared at the speaker. "Never figured I'd see the _Scarecrow_ turn to the _Scaredy Cat_."

"Fuck you, Joker." Scarecrow spat. "I'm _not_ going back after those kids, money or not. I don't give a damn if he's only paying us a quarter for killing two and an unborn baby. I'm not going _anywhere_ _near_ those Doom Patrol whackjobs."

"Crow ain't no couyon, Joker." Killer Croc grumbled. "Ah ain't recovered meself and ah ain't got no interest in meetin' yon skin changer agin'."

"Crow, Croc, settle down boys." Joker patted the air. "I didn't say we should go after _them_."

The other two villains exchanged glances.

Joker smiled darkly. "Let _them_ come to us."

Again he was met with dissent.

"No way." Scarecrow shook his head. "I don't want anything else to do with this. I'm taking my money. I'm out."

Croc shook his head as well. "I'm out too. I ain't got no death wish."

"Cowards!" Joker spat as his former associates left. Growling to himself, he called for his subordinates. "Al! Frank! Get in here!"

The two heavily scarred men stepped through a side door upon hearing their names. The Joker wasn't entirely sure how they had escaped the rat swarm, but the two had smelt like hell shat them back out when they located their employer five days after the attack.

"Yeah boss?" Frankie Four Eyes called back.

"We're going to need to stay on our toes for a while, boys." The Joker said dryly. He wasn't fond of what he had to say next. "Lock this place down, we're gonna be here for a while too."

Al raised his remaining eyebrow at his boss. "Why's that, Mister J?"

"Lets just say that if the Justice League comes a-knockin', they ain't selling cookies."

* * *

Elsewhere, in a place far far away, a pair of green eyes opened. A mouth opened as well.

And it screamed for blood.


	20. Fatality

**_Hellloooo readers! Foamys back with another chapter!_**

 ** _To be honest, this one was supposed to be posted a few days ago, but I'm sick and didn't have the energy to finish this last part of it (which I think is pretty fking awesome btw) and post. This chapter was a little rough concerning Raven's parts of it, but I'm satisfied with it. This one is more about Robin and Cyborg than anything (since BB and Rae are MIA to them). There's probably more I could have added by my flu-addled brain thinks this is satisfactory lol. Now for reviews!_**

 ** _Allen Blaster- a mad world indeed_**

 ** _Adrinsane- shhhh, don't tell Raven_**

 ** _Mochafraptor- await no more my friend! Also, gimme another chapter of Chaotic Neutral already *frowns*_**

 ** _RPGPersona- just wait til you see the end of this chapter lol_**

 ** _Losteverything- glad you enjoy this! Here's another chapter!_**

 ** _KangBoRam- but wait, there's more!_**

 ** _InsanityDeath- see previous message_**

 ** _Guest- wish *somewhat* granted_**

 ** _Bluedog197- I think you'll like this chapter_**

 ** _Cyrschaosfreak- Thank you very much. I hope you e joy this chapter too._**

 ** _And now to answer Toto01's question._**

 ** _How do I live in the minds of two Ravens? Well, there are numerous answers to that question. Part of it is due to my undiagnosed mood disorder which let's me go from one mindset to another in the blink of an eye. This is heavily influenced and partially controlled by the music playlists I have for writing. The playlists for this story are heavier, generally metal core, metal, rock, and their ilk. For these parts with Ravens current dilemma, Korn and Three Days Grace works wonderfully. For my other story, The Color Purple, I use much lighter music, mainly Coldplay, Thirteen Senses, and Snow Patrol. When I need to do some power brainstorming I put on classical music and release any mental restraints I have._**

 ** _Another thing that assists me in living in two worlds is my overactive imagination. My mind is constantly thinking of new ideas for stories. Truth be told, I have around thirty more story ideas available to start writing at any point, along with three stories (several chapters each) already available to post when I feel like it. I haven't done so because I don't want to have too many things going at once and burn myself out on writing._**

 ** _And last, but not least, is the theme of these two stories. If you haven't figured it out, this one is 'Denial' whereas The Color Purple's is 'Acceptance'. In this story, there are multiple instances concerning Raven denying things (and I don't mean that in a casual mannerism). In the other story, she accepts the things thrown her way._**

 ** _I'm aware that the things I do are chaotic. But I thrive in chaos. ;)_**

* * *

 _Warning: Low Power_

Cyborg glanced down at his arm panel. 13%. He grimaced. "Rob…I'm runnin' low. Real low."

Robin sighed. "Alright Cy…we'll head back to the Watchtower."

"Sorry man."

The Boy Wonder shook his head. "It's alright, I need some rest too."

 _Need some rest_ was a bit of an understatement. The bags under Robin's eyes were so heavy that they were visible under his mask. His uniform was torn and tattered in many places and there were several cuts slowly oozing blood. He'd caught hell in the past few weeks and it was catching up to him.

Cyborg himself wasn't in the best of shape. His mechanical parts were scratched and dented in many places, there were a handful of bullet holes in them, and his battery was starting to lose its charge faster from being shock a dozen times.

As bad of shape as they were in, they couldn't rest much. They had to find Scarecrow. But more importantly…

They had to find Beast Boy.

Thinking of his little buddy made Cyborg want to kick himself. He should have realized something was wrong when BB had asked for meat that day. He should have known something was wrong when his friend had ripped into the meat like a wild animal. He should have known something was wrong when his friends eyes didn't return to normal.

He should have known that Beast Boy would disappear the moment they heard that the Scarecrow had been spotted in downtown Manhattan.

That was a month ago and they'd only seen glimpses of the verdant boy ever since.

Now, if Scarecrow had stayed in one city things might not have been so bad. But the fear gas using villain had turned tail and ran when the rumors of a monster started popping up all through the city. A monster than had, in fact, been seen in several places he frequented. So he ran, of course. He went from Manhattan to Boston to Detroit to Metropolis, trying his damnedest to lose the shapeshifter. But it was all in vain.

The Beast hunted him relentlessly and the remaining two Titans chased after their friend.

They had been through dozens, if not hundreds, of criminals in the past month. From druggies to gangbangers, loan sharks to hitmen, even a crime boss. Anyone that might could point them towards the man known as the Scarecrow got interrogated. There had been more than a few fights along the way and twice the two young men were faced with rather dire consequences. Fortunately, they weren't without backup.

Kid Flash had recovered enough to join them at a moments notice, though he didn't actively travel with them. He never said much when he joined them and had clearly lost his cheerful demeanor. During combat he had become particularly brutal. Criminals suddenly finding themselves with broken legs or arms became common very quickly and more than a few would come to know what having their jaws shattered felt like. The speedster would always leave immediately after helping, like he had somewhere to be. They had asked him about where he was always running off to, just once.

He said he was hunting for Brother Blood.

They didn't bother asking what he would do if he found the man.

"Robin to Watchtower, requesting pickup." Robin called into his communicator. He was answered by the hero on duty, Shazaam. Within moments they were teleported to the orbiting station.

Cyborg stepped away from the platform, his eyes drooping with exhaustion. It had been another rough day. They'd chased rumors around Metropolis from dawn to dusk, looking for anything that would lead them to Scarecrow and, more importantly, their friend. They had found nothing except whispers of a hulking green monster. Of Scarecrow...nothing.

"I'm headed for a recharge, man." Cy called out to his buddy. "Get some rest."

"I'll get what I can." Robin responded as he tiredly ran his gloved hand through his hair. Immediately after Beast Boy had disappeared, the Titans leader had requested to use Superman's healing chamber. It took a few hours, but he was in pretty good condition afterwards. Unfortunately, it was those few hours that let his friend get a huge head start. Between worry about Raven, missing Starfire, and hunting for his wayward friend, Robin just didn't rest much anymore. He had no idea when he last got a full nights rest and damn sure didn't know when he last sat down and relaxed. His whole life had gone to Hell in such a short time that it left his head spinning.

Of Raven, he knew nothing other than what Batman told him. But all that consisted of was _she's doing fine, I'm still having her watched_. The Dark Knight still wouldn't tell him who was watching her, so he was forced to trust his mentor more than ever.

Of Starfire, even less was heard. He knew that Superman had personally escorted the stasis pod to Tamaran and than the inhabitants were less than pleased to find their beloved princess in such a critical condition. Superman himself had expressed reluctance to remain on the planet longer than necessary, seeing as the Tamaranians had become openly hostile.

And Beast Boy…he didn't even want to think about the madness he'd seen in the changelings eyes.

 _Batman to Watchtower. We have a situation. Have Robin and Cyborg returned?_

Robin cringed and Cyborg, who was just now reaching for the door control panel, almost sobbed. So close.

"Yessir, Mr. Batman sir." Shazzam replied. Robin made his way over to the communication console.

"We're here. What's up?" He called out.

 _Beast Boy was sighted here in Gotham an hour ago._

Cyborg started whining. "Maaaan, we been chasing rumors all around Metropolis about BB-"

 _There's a direct witness this time, along with…evidence._

Both teens complaints died on their lips. Whatever evidence was left…it couldn't be good.

"We're on our way." Robin said grimly.

* * *

Empty.

Adjective.

When pertaining to objects it means containing nothing; it is neither occupied nor filled.

When concerning speech or gestures it is the lacking of meaning or sincerity.

When speaking of individuals it is saying that one has no value or purpose. Synonyms include: Meaningless, hollow, idle, vain, futile, worthless, useless, insubstantial, pointless, purposeless, aimless, senseless, insignificant, inconsequential, trivial, barren…

 _Barren_.

Before, there was just darkness. A dark nothing that swallowed all light like a black hole. There were no positive feelings and there were no negative feelings. There was nothing.

But now things were dark and _empty_. There was less than nothing. It was a black hole that consumed black holes, a veritable maelstrom of insubstantiality that absorbed any and all things that even began to exist within its reach.

The baby was gone.

Its heart beat no more.

Gar was gone.

His warmth, his love, his _existence,_ gone.

It was her fault.

If she had just been stronger, she would still have her baby, her love.

There was nothing for her now. Less than nothing. This less-than-substantial feeling welled up inside her, plaguing her mindset with memories of the things she lost but did not let her _feel_ the things she remembered.

When she dreamed, it was of darkness. The pitch blackest landscape, an eternally echoing void with an ever-hungry maw that fed on her memories. Said memories were distorted to the point of being more kin to being without senses than remembrance. It was as if she were viewing them through a thick glass. Voices were muffled, faces were blurred, warmth dulled, feelings blocked. She could see them there within her grasp…

Only for it to be swallowed by the dark and empty nothingness once more.

Worst of all were the voices. Not the ones from her memories, but _other_ voices. Child-like, reverberating through her dreams like wind chimes in the distance. Soft and quiet voices that always asked the same questions.

 _Mommy?_

 _Where are you?_

* * *

It was a thud and the ensuing mad scramble to the bathroom that awoke Janette. With a little sigh she noted her roommate had another nightmare that left her vomiting up last nights lasagna. It was a shame, really. The food had been quite tasty, even if it was made in the microwave.

Wordlessly the girl rose from her bed to assist the other. Rachel's heaving into the porcelain bowl filled the night air as Janette pulled the sick girl's hair back.

She couldn't help but pity her friend. To have lived through something as horrible as losing a child would have been more than she herself could bear. To have lost her lover as well…

Janette shivered.

Rachel vomited twice more before she practically collapsed against the toilet. Had this been the first time it had happened, Janette would have worried. Sadly, this was a two to three times a week thing ever since Rachel had moved in. The Indian girl had no idea what kind of dreams her friend had that left her in such a state…

But they must be horrid if she spent all night weeping in her sleep, begging for Gar to not leave her alone.

Janette prodded her friend awake just enough to move back from the toilet so she could flush it. Then she got the girl a glass of water. She made Rachel take several sips to rinse and spit out before she made her drink a bit. Dully, lifelessly, Rachel obeyed. Her eyes were empty of everything except misery, but she never once spoke of her troubles to Janette. She merely thanked her friend and stumbled back to bed.

Janette returned to her own bed as well, but did not sleep just yet. Instead, she waited for the inevitable shadow that would flicker by the street light that barely shown through their window. She watched the light on the floor for perhaps fifteen minutes before the shadow crossed it.

Rachel's true guardians never skipped a night to watch over her and neither would Janette.

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere in Gotham, same time…**_

Robin and Cyborg approached the police-covered entrance to a seedy basement bar called _the Rusty Spoon_ quite warily. There was easily fifteen cop cars there, as well as a dozen ambulance. Whatever had happened had been bloody beyond belief.

The officer, an older man with grey tinged black hair and similar mustache, jerked his head towards the door as he lifted the police tape. "Bats and the Commissioner are already in there. Hope you boys brought yer barf bags."

The two Titans nodded their thanks and crossed under the tape. They descended the stairs quietly as a heavy and metallic scent created their nostrils. Steeling themselves, they stepped through the door.

The only way to describe what they found was a _bloodbath._

Corpses littered the room like a butchers shop, dismembered limbs scattered to and fro, blood soaked deep into the wood floor and brick. The bodily fluid was covering a solid three quarters of the entire room, with trails stretching across several places as if a body had been drug. Speaking of bodies, many had been gutted, their internal organs spewing forth like a carrion flower, looks of abstract horror etched deeply into the faces of the deceased. Though their eyes were blank with death, there was still evidence of fear in them. Several bodies had no head at all. Instead were piles of a mashed gore in their place.

Bullet casings littered the ground, as did many bullets. Holes from the ballistic rounds littered the walls, proving that this wasn't a firefight.

It was a massacre.

"Robin, Cyborg, over here."

The extremely nauseated teens cast their gazes towards the bar, where Batman stood beside two men. One was in a heavy tan trench coat and had a standard issue police firearm strapped under his left arm. He was an older man with grey hair and an equally grey mustache. His black rimmed glasses were thick and had a blob of tape on the nosepiece, which, along with a crooked nose, indicated that both had been broken in the same fight.

The other man was fairly fat, with black messy hair and a bottle of whisky in one hand. His face was more kin to a toads than a mans, but it was his wild eyes that made them realize he was the witness. Judging from his filthy coat and shirt, he'd seen the whole situation first hand and had promptly pissed himself during his mad dash to survive.

"This is Johnathan Harker, one of the crooked cops in this particular precinct." Batman said contemptuously. The fat man quivered in the presence of the dark knight, who paid him no small amount of attention. "Now, Harker, tell them what you told me."

Harker licked his lips nervously. "Well…uh…I 'deal' with a lotta bottom rung guys from different gangs around town. I let them do their thing and they give me a cut fer not drawin' the commissioners eye on them. But sometimes someone a little higher will want something too. If I think I can do it, I do. Tonight I was supposed to be meetin' with a couple of Jokers goons that wanted out. They've been hidin' out with him for a month and can't take bein' around him anymore. So I told them that if they give up his location that I can put a good word in for them with the chief and maybe get them in Witness Protection."

Commissioner Gordon snorted derisively, which made Harker flinch.

"A-anyways, I was supposed to meet them here, tonight, about three hours ago. But...that's when things hit the fan."

The fat man paused to shiver before shot him a dangerous glare. Harker gulped and continued.

"A kid walked in. A _green_ kid. He had this thing about him that gave me the heeby jeebies right off the bat, ya know? Anyways, this bar belonged to Two Face, who was here drinking with his boys and plannin' a heist tomorrow night. Only, he noticed the kid. He got up and started shit talkin' him right off the bat, telling' him that his kind wasn't allowed in here. The kind only said three words… _I want Scarecrow_. Two Face laughed at him and pulled out that screwy coin of his. He told the kid ' _heads, I'll tell you. Tails I'll kill ya'."_

Harker took another swig of whiskey and set the bottle down. "It was tails, so he whipped his pistol out and shot the kid in the head. Only, it didn't kill him. The god damn bullet came _out of his freaking skull!_ So Two Face jumps back and orders his boys to drop the kid. Five guys unloaded two tommyguns, an AK, and three pistols into the boy." Harker shuddered. "He took every shot without flinching. And then…he changed. He changed into some kinda Devil-sent _werewolf_ and started ripping people apart."

The man started shaking his head, his eyes downcast. "It wasn't a fight. It was a fuckin' _slaughter._ God, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep anymore."

"Why didn't he jump you?" Cyborg gestured at Harker.

Harker looked away. "I uhh…talked him out of it."

"You mean you pissed yourself like the coward you are and hid in the corner." Gordon spat. Harker flinched but gave a little nod. He looked up at the boys.

"Look…I know the Scarecrow is here in town. I'm sure I could dig up some info…that is, if yer buddy doesn't get him first."

"I'm not friends with Killer Croc." Robin said evenly.

Harker stared at him before he started shaking his head again. "No way kid, I've seen Croc and that wasn't-"

"What _you_ saw was Croc going on a rampage after Scarecrow cheated him out of money." Batman said darkly.

Harker stared at the dark knight in confusion. "Yer coverin' up for him? Jesus, does that mean what happened in Jump was a cover up too? You're hero's, why-"

"It would be wise for you to stop speaking. If the Joker happens to find out there's a rat, he'll do what he needs to kill it." Batman's tone was just as dark as before, but the threatening undertone was not lost on the crooked cop.

The fat mans confusion turned to horror. "Y-you wouldn't!"

Batman said nothing, but let the threat hang in the air. Robin and Cyborg too were silent. Gordon, on the other hand, feigned ignorance of the conversation. Harker gulped.

"Alright, alright. I'll see what I can find. I know where Croc is, if you want him. Downtown, Old Gotham sewers, underneath Twelfth and Fishers. Prolly deep sewers, knowin' him. And the two wantin' out of Jokers crew are Blastermaster All and Frankie FourEyes. If I can get ahold of them again I will."

"Good." Batman nodded. "Now-"

Batman stopped in mid sentence as his JL communicator went off. He reached up and pressed the comlink in his ear. "I'm here."

The others watched him for several minutes before he cut the call. Even though his face was set in stone, they could feel the anger pouring off of him.

"Uhh…I take it that they cancelled your take out?" Cyborg joked uneasily.

Batman glared at him. "No. Atomic Skull is missing from prison."

* * *

"… _and in other news, the supervillain known as Atomic Skull has finally revealed himself after a month of hiding out in some unknown location. His current location is in Jump City, where he's going toe to toe with the famous Doom Patrol, an elite team of hero's that had been traveling the world for decades fighting crime, and the two remaining Titans Robin and Cyborg. No one has seen the Titans Beast Boy, Raven, or Starfire for quite some time. Roughly three months ago Atomic Skull was a part of a supervillain group that assaulted the Teen Titans based in Jump City, resulting in the deaths of a number of villains as well as two Titans and an unborn child. It was the Man Of Steel who put the radioactive man down and behind bars, though the means of his escape is still unclear. But this time, Superman isn't here. The Man of Steel is presently at the far edge of our solar system dealing with a stray meteor that would intercept Earths orbiting path around the Sun in-_

The television clicked off. "What a load of crap."

Raven, who had been intently watching the Doom Patrol, Robin, and Cyborg brawl with Atomic Skull on the live newsfeed, turned towards the boy who held the remote. Of the twenty two teens in the classroom with her, he was easily the biggest asshole and the one who didn't understand the word _no._ Over the past two months he had tried numerous times to make her 'his girl' simply because she had zero interest in him. She had less than zero interest in anyone, truth be told.

If one said that she kept her classmates at arms length, it would be a vast understatement. She didn't learn their names. She didn't remember their faces. She rarely heard their voices. And she most certainly wasn't romantically interested in any of them.

But this Marcus fellow was determined to get under her skin.

"Do you mind turning that back on?" She asked simply. "I was watching that."

"Sure thing sweet tits, just come sit in my lap." He smirked. The two guys next to him started laughing. Marcus, a tall and pale-ish guy with very short brown hair and an acne-covered face, figured himself to be the best looking guy any girl would ever get. Why he thought that was beyond Raven's comprehension.

"Aintcha gotta have a dick for a girl to sit in yer lap, Marc?" A feminine voice called from the back of the room.

Marcus whipped around. "Shut the fuck up, Janette, you flat chested raghead."

"Ooohhh, that's _sooo_ original. What'd you do, pick that one up from Reddit?" Janette laughed at him. "A dickless punk like you couldn't handle Rachel if your life depended on it!"

Rachel sighed as the two got more and more vulgar with their insults. Rachel hadn't figured out why Janette was so protective of her, but the ex empath did feel a smidgen grateful towards her. She wasn't interested in making friends, not that anyone _wanted_ to be friends with her. Her emotionless tone, simplistic and blunt way of speaking, and utterly uninterested attitude drove people away quite easily.

Except for the asshole Marcus and the mysterious Janette.

The only way to describe her roommate was _mysterious_. Janette rarely left Raven alone for long, she was protective, and she was always talking to Rachel even if it appeared that she wasn't listening. Janette told her stories of growing up in a gang, stealing and doing other crimes to get by as they evaded the law. She talked about her 'friends' in the gang and how they had all been stupid blockheads that barely listened to her. She spoke of meeting a boy, Will, who turned her whole life upside down and stole her heart. She talked about how she had traveled the country with Will, had made love under the stars with him, had spelunked the deepest caves, seen fields of flowers that stretched forever, and so many more things.

Truthfully, Raven disliked hearing these stories. They made her think of Garfield. And when she thought of him, that dark and empty feeling would rear its head inside her and leave her nauseated for hours.

Sometimes she wondered if Selina had set Janette up for this.

"You know, Janette, you're about as pretty as that monster boy with the Titans!" Marcus shouted angrily.

Raven was jolted from her thoughts at this proclamation. She looked at her classmate. "Monster boy?"

"Yeah." He huffed. "That green fucker that thinks he's funny. The one that turns into monsters."

"He's not a monster." Raven said sharply. Her tone drew the confused gaze of many people, including Janette.

"Awww, did I finally strike a nerve in the heartless bitch?" Marcus sneered. "Figures that a creepy chick like you would be into monsters like-"

A notebook smacking him in the face shut him up. Startled beyond belief, he looked up at the form of 'Rachel', who was standing above him. Her face and eyes were unreadable, but her voice was tight with restraint.

"He is _not_ a monster." She practically growled.

For some reason he couldn't understand, Marcus felt that his life was in danger. Being a coward at heart, he nodded submissively at her. "Yeah, yeah okay. But what's it matter to you what he is?"

"He saved my life in more ways than you can imagine." Raven said quietly as she pulled away and returned to her seat. As the class quietened with gossiping rumors and wild theories, a single worded message was sent out.

 _Anger._

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

"Hey Rob?"

"Yeah Cy?"

"This blows. Where's Superman when you need him?"

"Good question." Robin frowned. Presently he and Cyborg were crouched behind a pile of slag in the Jump City quarry with Atomic Skull firing his blasts of radioactive energy wildly into the air as he defended himself from Negativemans assault and Mentor's telekinetic barrage of anything his mind could pick up. Robotman and Elastigirl were down, with the extent of their injuries unknown. Negativeman was losing stamina rapidly as well. Soon Robin and Cyborg would have to rejoin the fray.

When Skull has appeared, it was quite obvious his targets were the Titans. He pursued them relentlessly around town, taking hits from the Doom Patrol in an effort to get at the boys. The furious onslaught coming the older hero's would have stopped many other villains dead in their tracks (quite literally), but Skull just kept coming.

The most frustrating part was that the Titans had covertly hunted for Skull for the past month and had found less of his whereabouts than they had with their previous targets. Scarecrow and Beast Boy had vanished altogether in Gotham, which did not bode well. Then out of nowhere Atomic Skull just appeared and attacked. Robin had suspicions that he had help escaping and hiding.

Aggravated to no end with how his life was crumbling around him, Robin whipped out his communicator. "Robin to Batman. We need Superman, _now!"_

 _You're in luck. Superman just made it back in system._ Batman responded.

"Back in system?" Robin asked confusedly. "I thought he was on the other side of Pluto dealing with that meteor?"

 _That's one of his robots dealing with that. Superman left the system days ago to retrieve something._

"So, what, he popped on over to the galaxy next door and asked for some freaking sugar?!" Cyborg shouted. "And that's not creepy at all, having robots that look like yourself!"

 _That's what I said the first time I saw them. And It's anything_ _but_ _sugary right now. And it's coming in fast. Very fast._ There was a pause. _Grab the Doom Patrol and get out of the quarry NOW._

"Mento, fall back!" Robin shouted as he barreled around the slag pile, his communicator forgotten on the ground. He rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a radioactive blast from their foe. To his far right, Cyborg scooped up Elastigirl and started rapidly climbing up the quarry wall. Mento, exhausted, used what was left of his power to gather the scattered pieces of Robotman as he levitated himself out of the pit. Robin dodged three more blasts as he finally located Negativemans inert form hidden in a tunnel entrance. Just as the boy wonder arrived, the bandaged hero stirred.

"What's going on, why are we retreating?" The monotonous one asked.

"Not sure, but hold on tight." Robin ordered. Larry wrapped his arms around the teen as he whipped out his grappling gun and fired it off. Within seconds they were propelled through the air.

With a thud they landed on top of the quarry walls. Not too far away were their comrades, who were staring up into the sky.

What he found was a fireball rocketing straight towards the quarry.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" he shouted (he'd always wanted to say that) as everyone scrambled away as fast as they could.

Down in the pit, Atomic Skulk was confused. Everybody just high tailed it out of there out of nowhere. And now there was a meteor?

"This was supposed to be an easy job with Supes out of town." He grumbled as the meteorite stuck.

The resulting Earth-to-space-object collision collapsed three quarters of the mile-wide quarry, the walls tumbling down in a cascade of earth, stone, and devastated machinery. Tunnels collapsed, slag liquefied, conveyers melted, and Skull was blown right off his feet.

In the wake of the shockwave, all was silent.

With a grunt, the radioactive man pulled himself back to his feet after everything settled down. Wondering what had landed, he took two steps towards the crater before started swearing.

"You're supposed to be dead! God damnit!"

Robin, hearing his foe cursing, crawled across the ground towards the remaining lip of the pit. He, along with the others, had been blown off their feet and sent bouncing across the ground like tumbleweeds.

But Atomic Skull was talking to someone. It could only be one person. It had to be…

Robin reached the edge and peered down into the smoldering crater. The wind picked up just enough to blow the dust away to reveal…

Starfire.

Robin opened his mouth to shout to his girlfriend, but his voice faltered at the last second. There was something different about her. She was…glowing?

"Maaan, Star is _crazy_ radioactive right now." Cyborg commented from the side, making Robin almost jump out of his skin.

"She is?" He asked a moment later. Cy nodded.

"Yeah man. It'll kill us to go near her right now."

Robin, worried beyond belief, nodded.

Down in the pit, Starfire slowly crunched her way up the crater wall. When she reached the top she found a very confused Atomic Skull awaiting her.

" **You."** She said darkly. Skull took a step back as she started towards him.

" **The Kryptonian told me. He told me of the deaths of Jinx and Seemore, of the death of friend Beast Boy and friend Raven's bumgorf. A death** _ **you**_ **caused."** Starfire's rage was manifesting in her voice as her glow began to intensify. **"You, who has destroyed my home. You, who has slain two of my friends.** _ **You**_ **, who has stolen from me the title of mother of gods.** _ **You, who killed Raven's bumgorf!"**_

Atomic Skull thrust his hands forward in a duel blast that engulfed the princess. Robin cried out fearfully and surged forward, only to be held back by his friend.

Atomic Skull released his attack several minutes later, certain that his for was dead.

But Starfire was unscathed.

"How the hell…" Skull muttered as he took several more steps back.

" **My people absorb cosmic radiation. It is then converted into the energy we use for flight, and in my case, starbolts."** She said nonchalantly before her eyes began to glow. **"I flew through a** _ **star**_ **on my journey back to Earth."**

"Oohhh, this is not going to end well for me, is it?" Skull started backpedaling rapidly.

Starfire was in his face before anyone realized it. She grabbed him by the collar and lifted his struggling form off the ground. The glow of her eyes matched the glow of her body as she spoke in rage.

" **Pray to your god for mercy, for X'hal has none."**

Her uppercut launched the villain high into the air, where she blasted him with her eye beams. Before he could recover, she launched herself at him and speared him in mid air. With a grunt, he accepted the blow and retaliated by bringing both fists crashing down into the alien girls' back. Starfire did not even acknowledge the blow as a starbolt flared to life in each hand and blasted the villain. With a cry, Skull was sent crashing into the ground. Starfire followed shortly after with a double knee drop. The ground buckled and caved beneath them, dropping the combatants into a partially collapsed tunnel. Starfire pinned Skull to the ground and began to hammer her fist repeatedly into his flaming skull, cracking it.

Desperate, the radioactive man thrust his hands upwards into her chest and released a double blast of his own, rocketing his opponent out of the tunnel via the roof. Coughing, Skull staggered to his feet just in time for Starfire to return with a flying roundhouse kick that sent him crashing through multiple tunnels.

Starfire was relentless in her assault, driving him through walls and hammering her inhuman strength into him. He got his share of blows in but nothing seemed to phase her. She took ever blow and merely snarled at him.

Skull decided that he needed to retreat and quickly at that.

An abrupt backhand sent the girl reeling just long enough for him to turn tail and run. With any luck he'd-

She snatched him up by his leg and began to swing him around, smashing into walks and ceiling repeatedly. Roaring in some alien language, the berserk girl slung him up out of the tunnel onto the surface.

When he hit the ground, Skull knew his leg was broken. It was on backwards, after all.

" **Have you prayed to your god yet?"**

Atomic Skull snapped his head at the alien princess and spat an overwhelming blast of radioactive energy at her.

Starfire held forth her hand, encased in her starbolt, to divert the blast around herself like a stone parting a stream. As he kept it up, Star reached down into the blast and seized her opponent by the head. As the blast abruptly cut off, her free hand snapped down and grabbed one of his arms.

She began to pull with all her alien might.

Screaming, Skull began to hammer his own fist into Starfire's side. The rampaging Tamaranian snarled and ripped his arm off.

" **What is wrong, my opponent?"** Starfire asked darkly as he screamed in agony, his blood spurting freely across the ground. **"Are you displeased with fighting someone who has no qualms with killing you? Does it displease you that I am not at a disadvantage as my friends were?"**

Skull's skull cracked under the pressure of Starfire's hand and his screams turned into screeches.

"Princess Starfire, stop!" A voice called out. The alien girl cast her glare towards a red and blue suited man with a large S symbol on his chest. He held out his hands peacefully. "Princess, I understand your anger, really. But you can't kill him. Here on _Earth_ killing someone is a crime."

Starfire stared at him for a long minute before nodding. **"I understand, Kryptonian."**

With that, she launched herself into the air and zoomed up into the atmosphere, Atomic Skull dangling in her grasp. Skull was screaming for help now.

"Superman! For the love of God, help me! I swear, I'll tell you everything! It was Luthor and Savage that hired me and the others! Pleeeaaassseeee-"

Superman gaped at the ascending alien and her victim. "Oh no, that's _not_ what I meant!"

Robin and the others watched him bolt after her into space (figuratively speaking, since they could only see so far).

And then they watched as a _massive_ neon green detonation took place. So powerful and bright was it that it was seen in the sky across the entire world.

With bated breath Robin waited.

His heart stopped beating when she reappeared, no longer glowing. She flew erratically, her weariness evident even at this distance. At this moment, the boy wonder desperately wished he could fly up to her. But alas, he was forced to wait for her to land. When she did land, she found him standing there, his eyes downcast.

"Robin?" She asked tentatively. "Are you unhappy to see me?"

"I failed you, Star. I failed everyone." He said in a small, distraught voice. "I-"

Starfire's arms wrapped around his head, crushing him against her chest. Tears flowing from her eyes, she shook her head. "You have done no such thing, beloved. Do not speak of such untrue things."

"But Star…"

"I will not hear of it!" She ordered with a sniffle. "I have missed you so much that I could not even being myself to sing the song of sorrow."

Robin, his face crushed into his girlfriends breasts, glanced up at her. "I…I wouldn't mind hearing the song of returning home."

The alien princess smiled before kissing him. "Are you certain, beloved? It is six hundred and fifteen verses long."

Robin smiled. "That's six hundred and fifteen verses that aren't enough to say how much I missed you."

* * *

High above them, an argument was taking place.

"You _knew_ she was going to kill him!" Superman shouted into his comlink.

 _Yes._

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

 _Would it have mattered?_

"Of course it matters, Bruce!" Superman gestured angrily at nothing, a habit he had picked up simply by talking to his coworker. "Hell, _you're_ the one who advocates against killing the most! Yet we covered up everything Beast Boy has done because _you_ wanted to! It doesn't make any sense!"

 _Sometimes even I have to turn the other cheek for the greater good, Clark._

"But Star-"

 _Taking Atomic Skull out into space and killing him doesn't fall under your jurisdiction per say. You protect Earth. You guard its solar system. Technically, what she did falls under Green Lanterns jurisdiction and he says he would have done the same thing a long time ago if he thought you and him wouldn't cone to blows over it._

Superman's anger deflated a bit. "That doesn't mean its right to take a life."

 _Try telling that to Atomic Skull, who's taken countless lives over the years, including the life of an unborn child belonging to a teen girl who was left traumatized by the attack._

"We're hero's, Bruce. We all know having a family is dangerous…"

 _They're just kids, Clark. We didn't form their teams to deal with people like Atomic Skull or the Joker. That's_ _our_ _responsibility._

Superman sighed. "I just can't win for losing with you, can I?"

 _Never have, never will._

* * *

In a place far from Jump City, a television flickered on in a seemingly abandoned room. The walls were covered in slash marks, furniture was destroyed and piled in one corner, and the single window had been ripped out, it's hole widened.

A voice came from the television, nasally and annoying.

"Hey Beast Boy! Rise and shine! I think I found Scarecrow this time!"

The pile in the corner moved as the Beast awoke from his slumber.


	21. Warning: Contents Under Pressure!

**_Heeellllooo readers! Foamy has returned! lol_**

 ** _In all honesty, I thought I wouldn't have a chance to post this tonight. But Lady Luck favors me, it seems. *Snickers*_**

 ** _Okay, noooow for reviews!_**

 ** _Allen Blaster- I have no idea why a normal name of someone I based off of an asshole I went to school with would sound familiar in the DC universe, but w/e lol._**

 ** _Bearhow- I DO tend to lean towards the crazy side of the spectrum lol_**

 ** _Losteverything- Shit gets waaaaay better in this chapter!_**

 ** _Taygon55- I had honestly forgotten about the Bear-o-Gram, but now I think I'll use it. I know just the place! Thanks! :3_**

 ** _Adrinsane- I think the 'insane' part of your name is applying to your theory lol_**

 ** _RPGPersona- Yes! It's Control Freak! He's been pestering me to put him back in the story, so I found him a spot in that chapter and this one. Let me know if you figure out where! xD_**

 ** _Tsubaki88- Pride actually has very little to do with it. It's another emotion, though she's not quite addressed fully in this chapter. (she's quite literally pushed to the side, so to speak)_**

 ** _Lord Sicarious- Concerning your Red X question, I went with there being two Robins at the same time (or close enough), just in different places. It would kinda make sense for Batman to pick up a new side kick when Dick starts the Titans. Also, you'll like this chapter's Batman too._**

 ** _Bluedog197- I hope you love this chapter. It's been a long time coming._**

 ** _IHaveAFanficProblem- Oh trust me, it doesn't end well for Scarecrow._**

 ** _KangBoRam- My inner sadist loved writing it :P_**

 ** _WantingToastAllTheTime- :P_**

 ** _Guest- Glad you liked it! I hope you like this chapter too!_**

 ** _Toto01- you can praise me all you want, but I still think I pale in comparison to BlueTitan or BeautifulPurpleFlame. I do better than some, yeah, but I don't think I'm particularly talented. Just creative._**

 ** _OfficialRavenDC- I answered your review personally. I hope you like this chapter, though it only grazes the depth of Beast Boy's problem._**

 ** _Now, I'd like to address two things._**

 ** _Firstly, I received a couple of messages concerning Starfire beating someone like Atomic Skull. If you know the comics like I do, you know that Tamaranians CAN absorb comic radiation. Combine this with their berserker fury has quite literally put her toe to toe with Wonder Woman, who (despite the glaringly obvious understatement that is her powers) is on par with Superman._**

 ** _This means that Roid Rage Starfire is *quite* capable of smashing Skull into the ground._**

 ** _Now, as for the other point..._**

 ** _Judging from the messages I've gotten about the 'illness' Raven has and the reviews concerning 'morning sickness', one thing is very obvious to me._**

 ** _You lot need to Google "The Five Signs of Emotional Traumatization". The links I used started with 'cascadebh' and the ' '. Seriously._**

 ** _As someone who's been down that road and recovered, I can tell you that it's no fucking joke._**

 ** _But some people heal faster than others, like you'll see in this chapter. Although 'heal' is a strong term. Anyways, read and review, my friends! I'd love to hear your thoughts on how things are turning out!  
_**

 ** _-Foamy_**

* * *

 _Tireless fear,_

 _A bottomless void, neither there nor here._

 _You took your leave_

 _On our darkest eve._

 _Your presence still never leaves_

 _And it offers me no reprieve._

 _These wounds won't heal._

 _This pain is too real._

 _Your absence time cannot erase._

 _If I cried, you would have all of my tears._

 _If I screamed, you would chase away all of my fears._

 _I cannot hold your hand, the void has taken our years._

 _This nothingness is all of me._

 _Your heartbeat was my resonating light._

 _Now you're gone and I am left behind._

 _Your warmth, it haunts my dreams._

 _Your heart, gone, is silent screams._

 _These wounds cannot heal,_

 _For this pain is far too real._

 _Your absence time cannot erase._

 _I cannot hear your cries, nor wipe away your tears._

 _I cannot hear your screams, nor chase away your fears._

 _For you to take my hand through all of these years,_

 _Would mean there is something left of me._

 _I know that you're gone,_

 _For my heart went with you._

 _I'll be alone for far too long._

 _If we cried, the world would drown in our tears._

 _If we screamed, the world would tremble in fear._

 _Were I to hold your hand through the rest of my years,_

 _Then my soul would not grieve._

 _But since you are gone,_

 _There is no light in each dawn._

 _The sun is cold and the world quiet._

 _This empty void a deathly riot._

* * *

The sound of the clock ticking was the only noise in the classroom as the other students stared in horror at Raven. She stood there passively at the podium, looking out at the teary eyed students.

The English Literature teacher, an older woman with dirty blonde-turning-grey hair, big glasses, and wrinkles for days, gaped at the girl at the podium. Ms. Rogers had required the class to write a short poem depicting sadness, though the subject as to what made them sad was up for them to decide.

She, as everyone else had, had been utterly unprepared for the words coming out of 'Rachel's' mouth.

She stared at the girl before the class. Rachel had been a model student since she joined the class some months prior. The dark haired girl was always on time to class, did all of her assignments with unworldly accuracy and description, and very rarely spoke. When she did speak, it was only when spoken to and only if it was worth speaking of. Ms. Rogers had seen on more than one occasion where Rachel simply did not speak when someone talked to her, though the elder woman had assumed at the time it was dislike of the person speaking to her.

But this poem…

" _Jesus Christ, that was morbid!"_

Ms. Roger's head snapped towards the young man who spoke, Marcus Crawford. Her brow wrinkled in disapproval. The boy was brash, headstrong, arrogant, and a jackass. Easily identified as the class bully, he had littered the class with his sniping and sniveling comments about the distant Rachel since the first day of her arrival, simply because she didn't greet anyone. Of course, the foreign girl, Janette Lucksworth, jumped on his case every time he opened his mouth about the quiet girl. There was something odd about Janette and something even odder about Rachel.

"Is that satisfactory, Ms. Rogers?"

The elder woman brought her attention back to her star pupil. The girl, Rachel, was standing there with her paper in hand, her blank and lifeless blue eyes boring holes into her. The bags under her eyes appeared to have grown, indicating that the girl had been having trouble sleeping. Her tone was as it normally was, monotone. Well, that wasn't true. Even monotone wasn't an accurate description for how the strange girl spoke.

 _Dark and empty_ came to mind though.

"Yes…" Ms. Rogers spoke slowly, taking her glasses off to look at the girl. "Rachel…answer me this. Did you lose someone close to you?"

"In a manner of speaking…yes."

"Would you be willing to tell us what happened for you to be able to write something so…" The teacher waved her glasses in the air distractedly. "Something so... heartbreaking?"

Rachel looked down at the paper in her hands. "I do not know if it is heartbreaking. I simply wrote what was there."

"What was there? What do you mean?"

Rachel shrugged. "It is not something I can explain. I simply wrote what was there to make it go away."

Ms. Roger's eyebrow rose. That probably didn't make any sense to her students, but as a woman in her late fifties, it spoke volumes. Normally she would pull a traumatized student to the side and speak to them after class. But this strange girl begged for attention now. She leaned forward onto her desk, unable to stop herself from asking the question that was undoubtedly on everyone's mind.

"Who did you lose?"

'Rachel' looked up from her paper and swept her gaze about the room. She didn't know anyone's names aside from Janette, Ms. Rogers, and the asshole. She didn't know their stories. She didn't know their hobbies. She didn't know them. So lost in her own void had she been that she hadn't bothered to associate with anyone. She had no idea what their voices sounded like. She had no idea how they moved. She had no idea what made them happy. They were blank slates to her.

Her gaze landed on Janette, her strange roommate. Janette was the only one who knew 'Rachel' had lost her child. Raven suspected Selina had told her, but she didn't care.

The current question was…did she care if anyone else knew?

…no…she didn't care. She didn't care about anything.

When she spoke, her voice was barely audible over the ticking of the clock.

"Tomorrow would be the start of the ninth month of my pregnancy."

It was as if everyone had suddenly died, there was so little sound. Every eye in there, save Rachel's, filled with tears. The silence was broken, of course.

"Hooolllyyyy shiiittt." Marcus muttered out loud. "No wonder you're so damn cold."

Normally, Ms. Rogers would have instantly kicked the boy out of the room and written him up for ICS for such vulgar language. But for once, she was in agreement with the boy.

"What about the father?" Someone called out from the back.

'Rachel's' blank and lifeless eyes flashed with a deep pain for a moment before becoming empty once more. Her voice was just as quiet as it had been before. "Gone."

Before any other questions could come up, Raven returned to her seat behind Janette. The eyes of her fellow students followed her, though none dared to bother her. She sat down and immediately lay her head upon the desk. Ms. Rogers, mortified by the confession of such a young girl, completely forgot about the assignment and sat quietly at her desk. The other students started speaking very, very quietly to each other.

But Raven didn't hear anything they said. She was tired.

So very tired.

For the past couple of weeks, she hadn't been able to sleep. The nightmares had gotten worse to the point where she couldn't close her eyes without seeing and hearing them. This loss of sleep had affected her appetite and health dramatically. She had only been eating one meal a day and it was never anything substantial, so she had lost weight. Janette, for all her well-meaning, had declared this morning that she would _make_ 'Rachel' eat breakfast with her and _make_ her eat lunch and dinner too. The other girls' worry was blatantly evident in her tone, not that it registered with the former empath. She simply brushed the other girl off, saying that she had no appetite. It was true, for the most part. She simply possessed no desire to eat. It was as if everything turned to ash in her mouth.

Even though Raven was aware that she was suffering from emotional traumatization, she had no will to do anything about it.

* * *

The rest of her day passed quietly, not that she would have noticed if anything had happened. Janette tried to drag her off to the book store after school, but Raven quietly refused her. Other than schoolbooks, she hadn't had the desire to read once. All she wanted to do was do her homework and lay down for a bit. The other girl hadn't been happy, but followed her friend home regardless. Raven was clueless as to why Janette was so adamant about being around her all the time, but she simply acquiesced to her friends' inclinations. They walked home in silence, which was unusual for Janette. The girl usually talked Raven's ear off, which might have amused the former empath at one point. Janette was the type of girl who didn't make friends easily because of her brash and abrasive personality and tendency to cause trouble. But she stuck to Raven no matter what was going on.

Janette strongly reminded Raven of Jinx and it almost made the girl smile in reminiscent amusement.

Jinx had turned out to be a good friend. When Raven had first met the villain, she hadn't wanted to do anything but throttle the pink haired witch. Her hexic magic was frustrating to no end and had the potential to be quite dangerous, so pairing it with her personality meant that the witch was a formidable opponent.

Imagine how surprised she was when Jinx showed up at Kid Flash's side at the Brotherhood of Evil's downfall.

Raven had been wary of the girl at first. She had every right to be cautious of her former enemy, after all.

But when the witch had started traveling with Wally and fighting crime, Raven's opinion had gradually changed. Jinx had enthusiastically taken to Kid Flash's way of life with such a fervor that it had surprised the empath. She had never thought about a villain being unhappy with their life.

Who would have imagined that Jinx would be such a good friend for Raven?

Much like Janette.

She really needed to thank this strange girl.

She'd do it later. For now, she had algebra homework to do.

 _Polynomials_ , she thought with a sarcastic snort, _are soooo much fun._

* * *

 _Well, that was pointless._ Raven tiredly thought some hours later. After her homework, she had lain down on the bed just to rest. Not to sleep, just rest.

She still fell asleep.

When the nightmares started, she bolted up, wide awake once more.

Now she was sitting on the roof of the building, having taken the fire escape up to escape the confines of the room she dwelled in. She was aware that Janette was a light sleeper and had watched her ascend the clanking stairs, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be alone.

This night had quite possibly been the worst. She had only dreamt of one thing, one person. Garfield.

* * *

" _Alright Mr. Beast Boy, Ms. Raven, what are you looking for specifically?"_

 _I was surprised the woman didn't get snappy with us. It was easy to think civilians would. I mean, really, we're superheros and teens on top of that. We're supposed to be role models to our generation. Hardly anyone ever looks at us like we're at least a little normal. This is…nice…_

" _I want…purple clothes." I say as I look around. "Nothing frilly or lacey or anything like that. Just plain purple clothes."_

 _The woman nods and drags us to the center of the store. I think everyone is looking at us, but I'm too flustered to tell. The employee spends the next fifteen minutes talking about the clothes with me. I find several sets I like and I grab them. But as I turn to present them to Gar…_

 _He's gone._

 _I look around. I can't see him, I can't hear him, I can't feel his lips on my ear from one of his ambush kisses, I can't find him. He's gone. Where is he? Did he abandon me? Where is Gar? Where is he? Please don't leave me alone. I hate being alone. Please…don't leave me…_

 _Gar…where are you?_

* * *

Raven shuddered and willed the memory to go away. She knew very well that Garfield was gone. She knew very well the baby was gone. The clothes they had bought were gone. They home they lived in was gone. Their life was gone.

She was alone.

She hated being alone.

She hated it so much. Why wasn't Gar here? Why wasn't Starfire? Jinx? Cyborg? Robin? Anyone? She needed them and they weren't here.

It was her fault.

She wasn't strong enough. She wasn't carful enough. She wasn't prepared. If she had been any of those, then this wouldn't be happening. She'd still have her friends. She'd still have her baby. She'd still have her love. It was her fault. She was weak. Worthless. Useless. Empty. She didn't deserve any of them. She didn't deserve Garfield. She didn't deserve her baby. She didn't deserve anything. The only thing she deserved was to be dark, empty, and alone.

Just as a demon should be.

That's _right_. It _was_ her fault. She's half demon. Demons don't get happy endings. Demons only get torment and torture. She had reached out for the light and it had burned her. She had thought she could be happy. She had thought she could dwell in the light like the others, like him. With him. She had loved him so much for bringing her into the light and proving that she didn't have to be alone. She had loved him for making her smile. She had loved him for being there when she was down. She had loved him for loving her without hesitation.

But he's gone.

She was alone again.

It was her fault. She didn't deserve to li-

"Don't do it."

Raven jerked in surprise, having not heard anyone join her on the roof. Looking around, she found herself leaning against the small brick wall that lined the edge of the roof, leaning out a bit. She blinked in confusion. When did she get there? She was sitting in the center of the roof just a moment ago, right?

"Don't do it, Raven."

 _That_ got her attention. Warily, she turned towards the intruding voice. Standing on the fire escape was a girl, dressed in a strangely familiar black material. She had a mask and cape on, and long flowing red hair that reminded her of Starfire's hair. The former empath stared at her intently until she realized there was something else on the girl's uniform.

A Bat symbol.

"Who are you supposed to be?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm Batgirl." The masked girl said quietly. "And since you're going to figure it out anyways, I'm the one that's been watching you every night."

Raven crossed her arms and leaned against the brick. "Watching me for what?"

Batgirl shrugged. "Anything. Everything. I've been watching nothing, mostly. You don't really _do_ anything."

Raven shrugged in turn. "Nothing to do. No desire to do anything."

"No desire for anything, more like it."

The former empath couldn't deny that, so she just looked away. Batgirl sighed and leaned back against the rail of the metal stairs.

"Look…Raven...I know you're in a bad place right now. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. But…you still have a lot of people that care about you. I've known Robin since before he joined the Titans. If he knew what you almost did…it'd break him. It'd break Cyborg and Starfire too. So if I have to hog tie you and drag you back down to bed, I will."

"It doesn't matter." Raven mumbled. "It's all gone. Everything."

Batgirl shook her head. "No it's not. Your _family_ is waiting for you to come back to them. If I know Robin as well as I think I do, he'll wait until the end of time for you to come home. And so will the others." She paused. "Of course, _Beast Boy_ will wait until the end of existence for you."

"He doesn't need to. He needs to move on. There's nothing left of me."

Batgirl stared at her long and hard before speaking slowly. "If that's true, then why do you dream of him so much?"

Raven had no answer for that, so she left her spot on the wall and pushed her way past the other girl. She descended the stairs as quietly as she could and climbed back into the room she shared with Janette. With a definitive snap she shut the window and locked it. Not paying her so-called night guardian any more attention, she pulled out an MP3 player that her roommate had lent her and popped the earbuds in. Within seconds she was curled up in bed with a random playlist playing.

Turning it up as loud as it would go, she tried to drown out the other girl's words.

* * *

Up on the roof, Batgirl sent out a call. Within a minute it was answered.

 _Batman here. Report._

"Look, Bats, she's getting worse." The red headed girl said without hesitation. "She's not sleeping anymore and I just found her eyeballing the edge of the roof."

The dark knight was silent for a moment. _Janette says she's not eating much either. Combine that with her lack of sleep and other symptoms and she'll either snap soon or…_

"Don't finish that thought." Batgirl mumbled into the communicator. "You told me she was _messed up and hurting_. You never said she was this _bad_ though."

 _I was under the impression that the most intelligent member of the Titans would realize that she was traumatized and find a way to fix herself. I had no way of knowing she would become this bad._

"…do you think you can snap her out of it?" The red head asked hopefully.

 _Maybe. I have one thing I can try._

"Really? Is it anything I can help with?"

 _No, it's not. It wouldn't be safe for you to be with me when I try it._

"When are you going to do it?"

 _Since she's getting this despondent, tomorrow. Now, turn in for the night. You have school in the-_

The hairs on the back of Batgirl's neck stood up on end as an unearthly howl filled the air. A howl that spoke of bloodlust, madness, and despair. She looked around fearfully, pulling out a trio of batarangs.

"Batman, there's something out there!" She whispered frantically into the communicator as she looked around. She couldn't tell where the howl had come from, but it had to be within a few blocks.

 _Go home, NOW._

"But-"

 _No buts. Go HOME._

"But-"

 _That's not something you can handle. It's not something I want to handle. If you go anywhere near it…it may very well kill you._

The young heroine gulped. "What is it?"

Batman was quiet for what felt like forever before he spoke in a low tone. _Broken, just like the girl below you. Now go straight home. Stop for nothing._

* * *

 _He inhaled deeply, his powerful olfactory senses pulling in the various scents of the area. Two-leggers, felines, canines, vermins, birds…and something else._

 _Something…familiar._

 _With a low growl, the Beast leaped across the building tops. This familiar scent brought to mind flashes of memory, flashes of warmth, flashes of words he didn't understand. It made him confused and in turn, angry._

 _Coming to the edge of another roof, he leapt out, his powerful legs propelling him across the five lane roadway the two-leggers use in their metal horses. Two leggers were a pitiful prey. They were small and weak and they stank of fear when he stalked them. They came with flat metal that sliced his flesh, metal rods that spat more metal, and even metal that spewed forth the-heat-that-sears-flesh. The Beast loathed these creatures, desired to return to the forest where he belonged, to hunt true prey and feast after bringing it down with his own claws._

 _But there was something here, something that demanded to be hunt down._

 _A two-legger that smelt of terror and a two-legger that smelt of madness._

 _His need to hunt them, to kill them, to devour them, outweighed all other needs. They had taken his mate from him, his cub as well._

 _They needed to die._

 _Perhaps then his mate could forgive him for failing to protect them._

 _As he landed, the Beast rolled forward and bound once more to the edge of the stone structure he landed on. The scent was stronger here. The flashes came more frequently, so much so that it dizzied him. This filled him with rage. He had no time for this, he needed to return to his hunt. He needed to appease his mate._

 _But…he could not remember his mate's scent. He could not remember her face. He could not remember her calls._

 _When was the last time he had seen his mate?_

 _The Beast hesitated. WHERE is his mate?_

 _The wind shifted, flooding his nostrils with that strange scent once more. It brought a low, grumbling growl from his chest. A growl reserved only as a call for his mate, for when he desired her. Or she, him. Perhaps she was nearby?_

 _He followed the scent down the metal tree that climbed the stone building to where the scent was strongest. It led to a small cave, which was protected by a strange and clear stone that blocked his touch. Curious, he peered into the cave and discovered two two-legger females at rest. He snorted. Two-leggers were so defenseless in their rest. He could easily take them as prey._

 _But…something about the closest one was odd. Something was…familiar. He couldn't place it. It was her scent and it was driving him mad._

 _He needed to get away from this two legger._

 _Growling to himself once more, the Beast climbed back up to the top and sat upon the edge. He watched two-leggers scurry back and forth, their lives frantic and pointless. They had no claws, no fangs, in which to defend themselves. Their only purpose was to be prey for what he preyed upon. He was a hunter who hunted other predators._

 _And the two he sought had hid in their dens for far too long._

* * *

 _It was some hours later and many, many paw lengths away that he came upon something else that was familiar. The pale bear in the box had shown him a view of the building before. It had been many sunsets since this had happened, but he remembered the excitement on the pale bears face. He did not understand what the pale bear had said, but he had very much understood the view of a two-legger with a strange, fibery head. The Terror two-legger. Perhaps the bear had been trying to tell him the Terror was in this building?_

 _He paced the top of the roof he was on, the claws on his four paws leaving deep gouges in the stone as he strode back and forth. The more he stared at the building, the more he knew his prey was in there. There were two-leggers perched in many places about the building. Many were there for ambushing prey. The Beast snorted._

 _No two-legger could hope to ambush him and live._

 _He dashed to the other end of the building he was on and took a galloping start. With only a miniscule grunt, he propelled himself up into the air, leaping high above his preys' den._

 _Soundlessly, he dropped upon a pair of two-leggers._

 _How pitiful. His weigh snapped their necks instantly._

 _After that, it was only a matter of time before he stalked and killed the rest of the two leggers._

 _One by one, they fell to his claws, his teeth, his might._

 _Once he had cleared the outside of the den of the Terror's packmates, he clawed his way back to the roof. He sniffed around, seeking flowing air. This would allow him to find entry into this stone den._

 _Hm? What is this? More clear stone?_

 _The Beast peered down into this stone. There were many cracks and holes in it, meaning the two-leggers did not take care of their den. A worthless prey indeed._

 _Down below him, he could see many two-leggers scurrying about. Their fear filled his nostrils and he couldn't help but drooling. Their terror invigorated him, fueled his need for their blood. They were the packmates of the Terror and that meant they too needed to die._

 _And then the Terror appeared._

 _He stood surrounded by the others, their metal rods pointed in every direction._

 _Every direction but his._

 _With a snarl, the Beast leapt upon the clear stone, knowing it would break beneath his weight and allow him to hunt. The stone exploded below him, showering the two-leggers in shards that sent several of them reeling. The Beast paid them no heed._

 _All he saw was the Terror._

 _And all the Terror saw was him._

* * *

"Did you hear what happened last night?"

"Yeah, the news said Killer Croc is still rampaging around and killed the Scarecrow!"

"Woooah, seriously? Why would Batman let that happen?"

"Pft, that's obvious! The more crooks Croc kills means less work for him!"

"Ha! I hear ya on that!"

Raven, standing in the lunch line behind Janette, couldn't help but overhear this conversation. She wished she could smile at the thought of Scarecrow's death, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Too many had died at the hands of Croc lately. Granted, they were all criminals, but still…

She had seen one death too many at this point.

"Hey, get some carrots!" Janette barked at her. 'Rachel' rolled her eyes and grabbed the tongs. Scooping up a trio of the smallest carrots she could find, she turned back to her friend.

"Happy?" She deadpanned.

Janette smirked. "For now, yeah."

Raven rolled her eyes and followed her friend through the rest of the line. Janette made her get pizza and corn as well as a piece of cornbread. She wasn't particularly fond of the southern bread, but she'd eat it anyways. How could bread be so…gritty?

"Come on Rae, quit dragging yer ass!"

The former empath couldn't stop herself from flinching. No matter how many times she had asked Janette to stop calling her that, the girl continued. Each time she did so, she reminded Raven of Gar.

With a sigh, she followed her friend once more to their table. Most of the other students avoided them entirely, though that was because Janette was the local 'bad girl'. Still, being friends with Janette had its perks. People tended to leave her alone when Janette was around.

Of course, there was also the rumor going around that they were lesbian lovers.

That particular rumor she could do without.

"Eat!" Janette ordered as they sat down next to one another. "Or I'll cram it down your throat."

"Yes _Mom_." Raven huffed. She didn't see the small smile grace her friends face as she started munching on carrots.

Janette watched her friend as they ate. Even though 'Rachel' was as emotionally present as a black hole, she still retained traces of her former personality. Her sarcasm and sass peeked through if Janette pushed hard enough, just like her musical preferences still calmed her down. Still, Janette was wonder how long she'd have to-

"Holy shit, is that Batman and Superman?" Someone whispered loudly. Janette jerked her head towards the door and found that it was indeed the legendary hero's. She wasn't positive what they were here for, so she didn't greet them.

They made a beeline straight for her and 'Rachel' regardless.

 _This can't be good_. Janette thought grimly as she eyeballed the two approaching hero's. Without hesitation, they sat at the table with the girls, earning the teens several thousand wide eyed and open mouthed looks.

"I'm sure you know why we're here." Batman said casually.

'Rachel' shrugged. "Probably to see how I'm doing, although you could just ask Batgirl. You've had her spying on me this whole time."

Janette gawked at her friend. She had known? Damn, she was still as perceptive as she used to be.

"Not quite." Batman under his cloak and pulled forth a vanilla envelope. Opening it, he poured out the contents. Janette leaned in for a better look before she blanched.

It was dozens of pictures of slaughter men. They had been ripped apart in horrific fashions, their blood staining every inch of the surrounding area.

"Lovely." 'Rachel' deadpanned. "Are you producing the next Saw movie?"

Superman frowned. "Miss…Rachel. These are victims of your boyfriend."

'Rachel's' response was instantaneous. "We haven't been together for three months. I told him to move on. There's nothing left of me for him."

"Is that so?" Batman said in a tone that made Janette shiver.

"Yes."

Batman proceeded to start separating pictures with his index finger, speaking slowly as he did so. "Well, if that's the case, then let me tell you what's going on. There's this _monster_ running around killing people. Said _monster_ is a former acquaintance of yours, a close one. I'm sure you know his name."

'Rachel' did nothing but stare at the older hero.

"Now, this _monster_ has been killing quite a few people over the past few months. He's been through multiple cities, ripping people apart-"

"I hardly consider criminals to be people." 'Rachel' interrupted.

"They are still people regardless of their bad decisions. Now, as I was saying…this _monster_ has been terrorizing the underworld for months. As a _monster_ , it's quite terrible. Large, fangs, claws, hairy, the usual _monster_ works. We believe this _monster_ is-"

"Stop calling him a monster." 'Rachel' said coldly. Janette glanced at her friend to find the girl gripping the table tightly. Her knuckles where even paler than usual.

Batman's face darkened. " _Monster_. It's what he is now. He's been running around killing criminals savagely. Last night, this _monster_ killed the Scarecrow and all of his crew. So-"

" _Stop. Calling. Him. A. Monster."_ These words came from 'Rachel's' mouth in a growl that Janette hadn't heard in what felt like forever. She knew what Batman was doing and hoped he was ready for the consequences. Around them, there was a strange sound as the walls began to crack and tables began to tremble of their own accord.

The Dark Knight leaned towards the girl. _"Monster."_

"Call him a monster one more time and _see what happens_."

"Nothing's going to happen." Batman snorted. "You're powerless to help the _monster._ "

In that instant, the pendant around her neck exploded as Raven snapped.

All the lights and glass in the building exploded outward as the walls split. Table crumbled, doors shattered, and the floor cracked open like a gaping maw. Shadows, darker than the blackest night, burst from the girl and enveloped the room. Her eyes split into four crimson shards of the utmost hate and rage as the darkness swept Batman up and shook him like a ragdoll. Screams filled the air as the students present panicked. Superman disappeared, most likely to assist anyone in danger.

Reality itself seemed to shake as Raven screamed at him. _**"If you ever speak about my mate in such a way again, you will pray for Hell to save you from me! I don't give a damn who you think you are, you will NOT speak of him like that!"**_

Batman, quiet disoriented, kept pushing his luck. "Why so serious Raven?"

" _ **YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHY! THAT'S MY MATE AND NO ONE, NOT YOU, NOT SUPERMAN, NOT EVEN GOD, WILL DISRESPECT MY MATE LIKE THAT!"**_ The half demon bellowed.

"You sound awfully angry about all this." Batman said this casually, as if he hadn't heard the threat to his life.

" _ **Of course I'm angry, you vermin-themed psychopath! Gar is the sweetest, most understanding, caring person I have ever met in my life! That's why he's my mate! He loves me and I, him!"**_ Raven snarled this at him. When Batman didn't respond and only continued staring at her, she grew angrier. _**"If I have to MAKE you apologize to my love for…"**_

The 'former' empath trailed off, her quadruple eyes widening as her own words registered in her mind. She slowly looked about the devastation of the room, seeing the students cowering from her in fear. She looked down at her own hands, swathed in her dark magic once more. A nearby piece of unblemished metal from the table reflected her four demonic eyes back at her.

Her powers were back.

And more importantly, so were her emotions.

Unable to speak, she sank to the floor as her shadows receded into nothingness. She dropped to her knees and covered her face with her hands.

Janette, who had sat absolutely still during Raven's moment of berserk fury, glanced at her friend. The half demoness was weeping, her four eyes trailing blood-like tears down her face. Batman climbed to his feet from where he had been dropped and approached the girl. He too knelt down.

"Raven." He said gently. "You broke your promise to him. You pushed him away so hard that he blames himself for everything. His grief and self-loathing drove him mad. You have to find him. He's here in Gotham."

Raven nodded, not bothering to ask how he knew about that promise. She mentally reached out to look for something she had missed terribly.

 _RAVEN!_ Many voices, all similar, called out.

More tears streamed down her face as she called back to them. _There you are. I thought I lost you forever._

 _We were always here!_ Happy shouted.

 _You were just too hung up on Grief to hear us_. Rude snapped.

Raven was mildly confused. _Grief?_

 _Y-y-yeah. She's over there._ Timid was obviously pointing somewhere that Raven couldn't see since she wasn't in Nevermore.

 _She can't see that, you dumbass!_ Rude snapped once more.

 _Enough arguing! We gotta go find Garfield!_ Brave shouted. _He's been kickin' all kinds of ass without me!_

 _We need to find him for more than that, Brave._ Knowledge sighed. _We have to fix this. We have to apologize to him._

 _Where's Love?_ Raven asked.

 _Here._ A weak voice called out.

 _ **You just about killed all of us.**_ Pride said sourly. _**Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to get through to you with Grief being the ONLY emotion you recognize? It took BATMAN pissing me off to get enough power to get through to you.**_

 _I'm sorry. I ran away from all of you the moment…_

 _ **The moment we woke and realized the baby was gone.**_ Pride finished for her. Grief filled Raven once more, but her other emotions immediately pounced on the rogue emotion. The empath heard a brief scuffle and a yelp before the sound of chains filled her mind. There was a click, which told Raven that they had bound the silent Grief in the same chains that were once used to contain Rage/Pride.

 _ **I've had enough of her bullshit for a while. We'll deal with her later.**_ Pride growled.

Raven couldn't help but smirking. Having her demon side stopping her from grieving was as amusing as it was distressing. But she wouldn't stop Pride.

She inhaled deeply and exhaled in a way that she hadn't in months.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos."

She instantly calmed down, her emotions quietening. Raven used her renewed magical senses to take stock of her body. She was physically weak from entropy and malnourishment. She hadn't exercised once since the incident and hadn't eaten much in weeks.

But she had enough energy to hunt for her beloved.

The empath staggered to her feet as her eyes returned to normal. She once again looked around the room. The students, slightly less fearful of her, gawked in awe. Strangely enough, it was Marcus, several tables over, who spoke up.

"Who are you?" He asked. Several people echoed his question.

She turned and looked at him. With a slight smirk, she answered him.

"My name is Raven. I am a Teen Titan. And that Titan you said was a _monster_ is the love of my life."

She turned away from the horrified boy and faced Batman, who was standing before her. She didn't hesitate to slap him, which made many people present gasp.

" _That_ was for being an asshole." Raven huffed before hugging him. " _This_ is for not giving up on me. Thank you. I see where Robin gets it from."

"I couldn't let Robin lose the people most precious to him again." Batman said quietly as he pat the girl on the head. Nodding, Raven released him and turned to Janette.

"Look…I'm sorry I didn't tell you-"

"Pft." Janette waved. "I already knew."

Raven stared at her before smiling ruefully. "I knew you were one of Batman's spies."

Janette stuck her tongue out. "You don't know the half of it. Now, go find BB."

Her brow furrowed in confusion, Raven nodded at the other girl. Only the other Titans called her lover BB. Who was this girl?

 _ **Weird girl later, mate NOW!**_ Pride snapped.

Shadows swirled up around Raven and she disappeared.

"Missions over now." Batman said aloud, to no one. Janette heard an exasperated huff come from a red headed girl several tables away and snickered. The Dark Knight turned to her.

"Are you returning?"

Janette shook her head. "No, I think I'll stay-"

"I _told_ you guys there was something fuckin' creepy about her! Didn't I?! She was that creepy demon Titan this whole time!" Marcus practically shouted as he shook one of his buddies' shoulders in excitement.

"Hold that thought." Janette told Batman before turning towards the boy she had grown to dislike immensely. "Oi! Didn't I tell you to shut your damned mouth?"

"Screw you!" Marcus spat. "You're just as creepy as that damned demon!"

Janette gave the boy a dark smile. "You know what? I think I've had enough of your damned mouth."

Marcus scoffed. "What are you gonna-AAARRRGGGGHHH!"

The boy screamed as a pink blast of something struck him in the chest and launched him into a wall. He hit it hard and sank to the ground gasping. Looking up, he found his friends hauling ass away as Janette approached him. She bobbed her head back and forth as she sauntered his way, her eyes glowing pink.

"What _the fuck_ are you?" He gulped.

Janette snatched the necklace away from herself and threw it to the side. The change was instantaneous as Marcus found himself staring at a silvery-grey skinned girl with pink hair. Her catlike and pink eyes glared daggers at him as she lifted a hand to her hair and spoke several words he couldn't begin to enunciate. Within seconds, her hair lifted itself up into a horns and two black bands appeared to wrap around them to keep them in place.

Jinx stared at the prone boy, an evil smile on her face.

He screeched in horror as she grabbed his temples with her hands and spoke several words of arcane power. Her pink magic washed over him before he could scramble away from her.

"What did you do to me?!" He shrieked.

Jinx's smile turned Cheshire-like. "I cast a spell on you that makes it to where your dick shrinks every time you bad mouth anyone."

He stared at her in horror as she sauntered away towards Batman. The Dark Knight quirked an eyebrow at her and spoke quietly.

"There's no spell like that."

Jinx shrugged. "He doesn't know that. Now come on, we need to follow Raven."

"I'm totally telling the others a kid slapped you." Superman snickered as they all stepped out of the cafeteria.

"Do that and I'll show them the video of you dancing in your underwear in the Fortress of Solitude." Batman deadpanned.

Superman's jaw dropped. "H-how-"

"I'm Batman." The Dark Knight smirked. "And I never knew you liked to _Get Low with applebottom jeans._ "

* * *

 _ ***CUE FINAL FANTASY SEVEN VICTORY MUSIC*  
**_


	22. How Not To Hide

_**Hellllooo readers! Foamy's back with another chapter! This one took a little while because I had to go back to that dark place to write it out. It took me a while to get to cause I'm a wee bit stressed with life right now.**_

 _ **I'd like to take this moment to point out that Toto01 is the ONLY one who guessed correctly about the previous chapter's poem. It was originally the lyrics to My Immortal by**_ ** _Evanescence, which I took and rewrote lyric by lyric to make something darker. I like to think it worked. Now for reviews!  
_**

 ** _Bearhow- Yes! Yes they are! Kinda. Sort of. *nervous cough*_**

 ** _InsanityDeath- Me too, I love Batman, he's the perfect caring/asshole character lol_**

 ** _AllenBlaster- Tbh, the original blackmail piece was going to be Superman in a tutu lmao. Also...Sour Cream._**

 ** _LostDemonessRaven- I'm happy you enjoyed it! Here's the next chapter!_**

 ** _Zafnak- I'm afraid that issue won't get addressed until the next chapter._**

 ** _Mochafraptor- Yes we are. Kinda. Sort of. *another nervous cough*_**

 ** _Lord Sicarius- Something tells me you'll like this chapter lol_**

 ** _Aqua Rules- yes, yes he does lol. Comics taught me that more than shows did._**

 ** _Hillock- Thankee kindly sirrah. Enjoy this chapter too!_**

 ** _RPGPersona- You won't find out why Jinx was hiding just yet, that's for the next chapter. Still, I think you'll like this one too._**

 ** _The 5th Dragon Guardian- Here here, take this one! xD_**

 ** _Tsubaki87- Why yes, yes I do enjoy messing with you all. Both your happiness and despair fuels my writing. I'm like an empathic leech, sucking your soul out. *insert evil laughter*_**

 ** _KangBoRam- Of course I'd interact with you all, I legit enjoy hearing what you guys and gals think of my stories. I wouldn't be much of a writer if I just ignored you, now would I?_**

 ** _Tayon55- Weeelll, looks like we got someone who knows who the actual Jinx is! Color me impressed! Funny thing you that you should mention Spectre...*coughs again* Anyways, hell yeah I'll use the Bear-A-Gram, but it won't start until the next chapter or maybe the one after that. Who knows?_**

 ** _Oh wait...I do. *snickers*_**

 ** _You are also most welcome sirrah/madam (whichever you are). I'm happy to help. I too bought a bunch of comics recently, along with something else that's very...interesting. hehe._**

 ** _Bluedog197- Your reviews never cease to amuse me. They always make me smile and for that I thank you. I'm certain you'll get a kick out of this chapter as well :)_**

 ** _18Chad88- I'm happy to have you enjoy my story so much! I hope you like this chapter too! :D_**

 ** _The1andonlyJL- Wish granted!_**

 ** _Guest- Thankee kindly.  
_**

 ** _Aelnc- Here ya go, enjoy :D_**

 ** _Toto01- A part of me considered stretching her grief out for another chapter, followed by her slowly gaining her powers back. But another author pointed out something that I was missing because of how dark things got. I was losing sight of my fluffy happiness. That's part of the reason why these chapters are harder to write, I got lost on my own track. Now I have to move things back in the right direction. Who better to force something like than than the goddamn Batman? As for Control Freak...he's got a piece coming up before too long._**

 ** _That is if I don't choke him first for pestering me about putting him in more chapters._**

 ** _DaDemigodWizard- I'm hoping this is soon enough of a update for you lol. Also, this chapter has them dealing with the Joker. I'm sure you'll love the fight scene._**

 ** _Angelblood97- EVERYTHING HUH? THAT'S A LOT OF THINGS TO EVERY ABOUT? ADD THIS CHAPTER TO YER THING OF EVERIES. :D_**

 ** _Guest- YEEAAAAAHHHH!_**

 ** _Creepingwillow9- I hope I get such a high review for this chapter too lol._**

 ** _One last thing._**

 ** _I should warn you guys. I wrote this chapter while under the influence of Korpiklaani, Zakliatie, Sabaton, Turisas, Alestrom, Arkona, TYR, Eluveitie, Powerwolf, Ensiferum, Elvenking, Nekrogoblikon, and Korn's new Serenity of Suffering album._**

 ** _\m/ Brutal \m/_**

 ** _As always, my duckies, read and review please!_**

* * *

"Al? Frankie? Harley?" The Joker walked quickly through the abandoned mini mall, shouting for his cronies. But the thing was that no one was there. There weren't even any rats to shoot. The boys sure had done a good job cleaning this place out a few months ago, it made an excellent hide out. The Clown Prince of Crime stopped and poked his head into the old cellphone store. His men had converted it into a dining area, with a makeshift doorway leading to the old Chik-Fil-A next door to use as a kitchen. The seats were cold and so were the ashes of Al's Black and Mild Grape cigar. They'd been gone a while.

"Hmm…" Joker stroked his chin in thought. Frankie and Al had gone out more than a few times in the past couple of months despite his imposed lockdown. Mostly it had been for food, but he knew the two occasionally went to the 3rd Street strip club, Rock Solid, as well. Al had a thing for a fat bottomed girl named Bubbles while Frankie was sweet on this Goth girl called Buttercup. But was too early for the club to be open. And that didn't explain where the rest of his crew was.

Pondering this, the Joker turned to leave the room when he spotted a sticky note on the wall labeled: BOSS. Tearing it off, he read Frankie's terrible scribble.

 _Boss- went for tacos, will bring you back fajitas but gotta get sour cream cause Al ate it all. Other guys went to raid Scarecrows old hideout for gear. Harley said something about raiding Two Face's place._

- _Frankie_

"I love fajitas. Those boys sure do know how to spoil me." The Joker grinned before walking away humming 'La _Cucaracha'_ _._

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya Frankie, this is a bad idea!"

"Dumbass, stickin' wit' tha' Joker is the bad idea! You heard what happened ta' Two Face and Scarecrow! You wanna end up like that?!" Frankie Four Eyes scowled as he nervously flicked the butterfly knife in his hand.

His partner Al shook his head and adjusted the straps to the energy pack on his back. "Of course not, but this is crazy! That thing could eat us!"

Frankie shook his head. "Ya didn't even _listen_ to my plan, didja?"

Al, looking guilty, shook his head. The knife thrower sighed in irritation and flicked his knife once more.

"I ain't tellin' ya again. Now put that damn cigar out, it stinks!"

"Screw you. If Imma die, Imma die smokin'!"

Frankie stopped to kick a trash can. It clanged loudly against his steel toed boots as he wailed on it. When he was done venting his anger, he turned to find Al looking at him crazily.

"Look," Frankie said, "We brought this stuff to give it to it. How's it gonna do its thing if it can't smell cause of yer _goddamn cigars?!"_

Al huffed but scraped the cigar on the bricks. Snorting irritability, he followed his colleague down the alleyway. There was almost too much trash to walk and there was a smell in the air that could only belong to a dead animal. There was no telling when this filthy thing had been cleaned last and he was absolutely _certain_ there were rats in there.

 _Rats._

Al shuddered. He had come to find out the hard way that rats were _horrid_. Of course, that was the Jokers fault. Al was happy to be alive, buy Frankie was _livid_ that the Joker had left them there buried in rats. They only survived because the rats had chewed through Al's power coupling. The rodents had been so tightly packed together that the shock killed them but only burned the men. They were nothing less than _lucky._ Afterwards, the men had ran like hell from that horrid place with all the angry animals and escaped into a sewer. Two days of trudging through sludge had led them to the outskirts of the city (the other side; they also got lost) from there they boosted a car and took off for home.

Things obviously went downhill from there.

Needless to say, Frankie had stayed in a state of perpetual agitation. He only calmed down when he was eating or flirting with that stripper Buttercup. He even looked angry when he slept. Al had yet to figure out how his buddy did that.

"Come'on Al, the quicker we get this over the better." Frankie hollered from a ways down the alley as a rumble sounded over their heads. It was going to rain soon and they were two blocks from the car. Frankie had insisted that they keep their target as far away from his beloved Nissan Altima as humanly possible, so he parked it where he thought it was a safe distance from their destination. Al wasn't particularly interested in going anywhere near an abandoned two story house that had apparently had a new resident. A large, hairy, and _angry_ resident.

But Frankie was adamant. He was getting out of this mess and not coming back. He wanted to go back to his family's butcher shop (though Al was certain he just wanted an excuse to legally cut things all day). Al wouldn't mind going back to his pa's mechanic shop since Two Face's goons weren't around anymore to "collect protection money". The only reason both men had rejoined Joker in the first place was 'cause their places fell on the edge of the clown and ex-lawyers' turfs. They needed protection and Ol' One Eyed Jack had promised it.

Fat loada' good if Jack was dead and Joker didn't give a damn.

Al glanced forward at his partner, who had pulled his kukri from his back and was nervously tapping it on his hip as he walked. This was looking bad if Frankie had two knives out. His buddy was nervous, really nervous, as they exited the alley and stepped into a decrepit cul-de-sac. Frankie could handle most humans in a fight, even moreso if he had a knife. But this monster? Well…this wasn't gonna end well for someone, most likely them.

"We're here."

Al paused and stared at the shoddy building before them. It could have been nice, once upon a time. Now it was covered in vines (damned kudzu!) And there were only two entrances that could be seen; the front door and a large hole up on the second floor.

Al gulped and palmed the cannon at his hip. He damn sure didn't want to fight this creature, but he wouldn't die without a fight. If he was lucky his buddy could hold it off long enough for him to get the gun warmed up.

 _If_ being the key word.

Frankie bent low and scooped up some rocks. Almost lazily he tossed them into the upper hole, where they clacked loudly. The echo reverberated off of the few buildings around them. It was at the edge of town, so there wasn't much here. A gas station, an old grocery store, a closed post office, and more houses, mostly abandoned. Just a little piece of crap area in Gotham. Word on the street was that this was gang to turf until the monster moved in. Now…next to nobody was there. They'd only seen one hobo and he looked like he'd seen the devil recently. He had only whispered _Don't go that way, it lives there_ as they had trudged by him.

Frankie snatched up a few more rocks and threw them harder. The echo was almost as loud as the pounding in their ears.

It might have been late in the afternoon, but they were certain the beast was in there. It hunted at night, so that meant it sleeps during the day, right? Isn't that what Batman does too?

Snarling in irritation, Frankie threw the last of the rocks he had. He should have known this was another dead end. Now he'd have to…

Wait…where was the echo?

Frankie slowly raised his eyes and peered into the hole. Behind him, there was a sharp intake of breath from his friend. Barely shining in the darkness were emerald orbs.

Hungry eyes.

Hateful eyes.

Eyes filled with madness.

Frankie and Al shivered as a low and deep growl rolled out from the shadowy creature. It was a warming growl. When they didn't move, the growl got louder, deeper, more hateful. Frankie, who was closer, gulped but stood his ground. He couldn't back down now. The last plan to get out had failed so this one had to...

The beast emerged, dropping down in front of them.

Frankie was by no means a short man and Al was even taller than him. But this animal was easily ten foot tall, forcing both men to crane their necks back. The kukri and butterfly knife fell from one's hands as a cannon slipped from another. The sheer volume of muscle on this giant, hairy creature was unlike anything they had ever seen (neither had gotten a good look in that frenzy beforehand), and they had seen Killer Croc up close more than a few times. Its dark, gnarled green fur was full of twigs and shards of wood. Blood stains, some old and black, others fresh but dark, littered its body like a patchwork quilt. A jibblet of meat fell from between a pair of the massive fangs that adorned the creatures snarling mouth as it dropped down in front of them.

Both men realized they were staring into the face of death.

Frankie slowly reached into his dark leather coat. The beast watched his every movement, its muscles taunt to react to what ever he was going to do. Shaking with pure fear, the knife thrower slowly withdrew a small bag from an inner pocket. He opened it and presented the creature with something very much unexpected.

A pair of Jokers socks, stitched with Batman symbols.

This 'gift' confused the beast. It stared at the socks before looking back at Frankie like he'd gone mad. Al almost told his friend that this house elf was the scariest one he'd ever seen.

 _Almost._

After what felt like forever, the beast shuffled over to Frankie. It leaned down, far down, and sniffed the socks. Its eyes narrowed instantly as it snatched the clothing from the knife thrower and inhaled deeply.

The howl that followed this made both men piss themselves.

Within seconds the beast leapt straight up the side of the nearest building and thundered away. Al, shaking, abruptly sat down in the grass and stared at his partner, who had sank to his knees.

"Hey Frankie?" he called out.

"Yeah?"

"What…what if the Joker lives and wants ta know where we were?" Al asked fearfully.

Frankie started laughing. "Well, I left a note saying that we went fer food but had to stop for sour cream cause you ate it all!"

Al frowned. "But…I don't even like sour cream."

Frankie only laughed harder as the thunder above them rumbled across the darkening sky.

* * *

 _The Beast howled, out in the raging storm in the dawn of night._ _The ravenous, bloodthirsty creature searched for its prey_ _._ _Through the deepest shadows, it hunted, driven by death itself_ _._ _Only the satisfaction of slaughter would cause it to return to_ _the darkness from which it came_.

 _All it knew was rage. Hatred. Violence. Killing. It was all the Beast needed to know in this stone jungle. It had but one prey left. The Mad One. It needed to find the Mad One. It MUST find him, MUST kill him. The Mad One had harmed his mate. Had harmed his cub. All others were dead. He was all that was left. He had to die. His flesh torn, his blood drank, his sinew ripped, his head crushed, his limbs broken, his heart_ _devoured._

 _The Mad One's own packmates offered his scent to the Beast so that they could live. They feared the Beast, rightfully so. He would find the Mad One and tear him apart with his own claws. He had to. He could never return to his mate without having done so. The Mad One must die. His mate had to be appeased. He wanted his mate back,_ _needed_ _his mate. There was nothing for the Beast without his mate._

 _His mate, where was she? He didn't know, couldn't tell through the fog-that-was-what-once-was, the time before his great hunt. The fog showed him things. Things such as hunting two-legger prey. Another Beast. A girl with yellow hair. A girl with purple hair and eyes. A metal man. A red haired girl. A small man dressed in red, yellow, and green. His pack? The Beast had a pack? Where were they? Should they not be helping with the Great Hunt? He had to find the Mad One._

 _Above the Beast, the sky rumbled with fury. The storm billowed on, pelting the Beast with torrents of water. Were the Beast a normal creature, it would worry about losing the scent trail. But the Beast had a nose far keener than any canine. It would find-_

 _The wind shifted, flooding his olfactory senses with a scent that was familiar. Having traveled the width and breadth of this stone jungle twice in the past hours, the Beast was aware that this was not a scent he had noticed the first time._

 _This was the scent that came from the things the Mad One's packmates had offered. The Mad One was near._

 _A low and heavy growl started rumbling in his chest but it escalated into a howl of utmost fury that reverberated so fiercely amongst the building that windows rattled in their frames. Vermin, canine, and feline alike fled in fear. Den-less two leggers fled, their cries of terror drowned out by the crashing thunder above. The Beast sprang forward from its perch on a building top, headed upwind. He leapt from building to building as effortlessly as the two-leggers took steps. The rain diluted the scent, he needed to hurry-_

 _A howl, not unlike his own, sounded in the distance. His hackles rising, the Beast growled and looked around. Another hunter dared to intrude upon his hunt? Let them come. They will fall to his claws just as the Mad One would._

 _He roared his challenge into the storm, daring this unknown hunter to face him._

 _But it was not answered._

 _Weakling._

 _Snorting, the Beast leapt to the next building. His claws left deep gouges in the stonework as he scrambled across the rain-slicked rooftops. The wind shifted once more and he paused. His nostrils flared, drinking in all scents in the area. Filth, death, rot, two-legger, canine, vermin, feline, metal, stone…the Mad One. Yes, the Mad One's scent was faintly drifting from his left. He set off at a neck breaking gallop, unwilling to lose this scent._

 _Up and over, across and down, through and under all manner of two-legger things the Beast ran. He ran even as the scent faded to nothingness as the rain hardened. But it was quite fine._

 _The Beast had found the den of the Mad One. It was a strange den, large with many smaller dens attached to it. There was much wood on holes in the den, showing that the Mad One did not take care of his den either. There were several 'vehicles' in the clearing around the den, though the Beast did not know what a vehicle was. Perhaps another thing from the fog-that-was-what-once-was? The Beast did not bother pondering this. His prey was near._

 _He howled into the storm once more._

* * *

 _Within minutes the Beast had entered the den from the top, once more crashing through the clear stone. The scent of the Mad One was here, it was strong. He could not help but salivating at the thought of tearing the flesh of the Mad One's corpse off and devouring it. It would surely appease his mate if he brought her a haunch of meat._

 _He stalked the upper pathways of this strange den. It was divided into many parts, with many chambers. There was all sorts of refuse that littered every room. These two-leggers seriously needed to clean their den._

 _His claws clicked on the stone as he peered out from behind a stone pillar. He had not seen the Mad One, but there was something else that was very curious. A green fog was billowing out of several chambers on the ground, filling the large clearing with a stone watering hole with the fog. This fog made the Beasts' hackles rise. It smelled of death. The Beast let out a low growl, not desiring to enter the fog._

"Ah, so a stray DID wander in out of the rain, eh?" A voice chuckled darkly.

 _The Beast stiffened and cast his gaze about. He did not could not smell the Mad One, only the fog, but he heard the tap tap taping of the Mad One's feet on the ground. He peered into the deepest part of the fog, which had fully enveloped the entire ground floor, towards the stone watering hole._

 _The Mad One stepped out from behind it._

"My, you're even uglier up close than I thought. Tell me, doggy, where's your master? Or should I say your bitch?" The Joker laughed.

 _The Beast bared his fangs and roared._

"You're one of those types that barks all the time, I see." The Clown Prince snorted derisively before a wicked grin split his face. "Well if that's the case, I have a bone for you to chew on."

He lifted the loaded HYDROAR M20A1B1 rocket launcher from where he had left it sitting on the edge of the fountain's second tier bowl. His smile as dark as the clouds outside, he lined up the Beast in his makeshift crosshairs (two paperclips glued to the barrel). "Fetch!"

 _The Beast was unprepared for the Mad One to attack from such a distance. He had no idea that his prey had a thunder-lightning spitter. The stone pillar he had been standing behind exploded with such a force that the Beast was thrown into one of the small dens, crashing through several layers of clear stone. His head rang from the force of the blast as his stunned body fought to stand up. Thousands of shards of clear stone were stabbing into his body, having sliced his fur and pierced his flesh. He staggered as he stood, blood pooling from his form onto the floor below. The Mad One's voice rang out from down below._

" _How much is that doggie in the window?_ " He sang. " _The one with the waggly taaaaiiil? How much is that doggie in the windoooowww, oh I do hope that one's for saaaalllleee!"_

The Joker saw the Beast stagger out of the old painted glass store and rear its hand back. The clown barely had time to scramble out of the way as a bowling ball sized chunk of stone slammed into the ground where he had been standing. It shattered, pelting the villain with shards of rock. He tossed the empty bazooka to the side and grabbed the tommygun laying in the dried out fountain base. As he whipped back around the fountain and opened fire, he couldn't help but to sing some more.

" _I must take a trip into Gotham and leave my poor Harley alooooone. If she has a dog she won't be lonesome and the doggie will have a good hoooooome!"_ He cackled as the Beast ran around the edge of the second floor of the mall. Glass and stone shattered under the hail of bullets of the Joker's gun as he followed the Beast relentlessly. After about two minutes of this, the gun clicked. Joker looked down at it. Empty.

" _How much is that doggie in the window?"_ He sang once more as he reloaded. _"The one with the waggly taaaaiiil? How much is that doggie in the windoooowww, oh I do hope that one's for saaaalllleee!"_

 _The Beast was furious. Not only was the Mad One keeping him from getting close with that deathly fog, but he was mocking him as well! The Beast knew it had to get close. It was not afraid of the 'bullets' as the fog-that-was-what-once-was told him, but the thunder-lightning spitter was very very dangerous. Were the Mad One to hit him with that up close, the Beast doubted he would live. He roared his fury out as more bullets slammed into the pillar he was hiding behind._

The Joker was getting annoyed. His gun was hardly phasing this creature. It was almost like shooting Killer Croc. Pointless. But still, he had more toys to play with and the monster obviously knew the gas was deadly to anyone not immune to Joker Venom. This brought the darkest smile to the clown's face yet.

Still firing his gun, he proceeded to slowly move his way back towards an old toy store. He had a lovely toy in there that Jack had found for him some time back. He kept up his shooting, keeping the Beast pinned behind a pillar. He wasn't entirely sure why it was hiding from bullets when it healed from them almost instantly, but if it was stupid enough to not come after him then it's its loss.

When the gun clicked empty again he threw it to the side and dashed into the store. He ran to the back, where there was only one door that led to the storage room. Upon entering, he found what he was looking for under a heavy clothe tarp to keep the dust off. Al had insisted that he keep it in pristine condition to 'lessen the chances of it misfiring'. Frankie had just scowled and said it took all the fun out of killing. Joker was pretty sure Harley had mounted the thing once just out of curiosity. He ripped the tarp off and grabbed it by the handles.

The Mk 19 grenade launcher is a belt-fed, blowback-operated fully automatic weapon that is designed to kill _everything_ it is pointed at. The weapon operates on the blowback principle, which uses the chamber pressure from each fired round to load and re-cock the weapon. It fires 40 mm grenades at a rate of 325 to 375 rounds per minute, giving a guesstimated 60 rounds per minute (rapid firing) and 40 rounds per minute (sustained firing). The Mk 19 can launch its grenade at a maximum distance 2,419 yards, though it's only accurate up to 1,600 yards. The nearest safe distance to launch the grenade is 75 meters in a live combat scenario. It does possess a flash suppressor, but it's only for the operator. This model, weighing 77.6 pounds and mounted on a wheeled tripod, fires high-explosive dual-purpose M430 grenades. On impact, the grenade can kill anyone within a radius of five meters, and wound them within a radius of 15 meters. It can also punch through 2 inches of armor, which means it can penetrate most infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers i.e. swat trucks and armored bank trucks.

The Joker was going to use it in a _mini-mall._

 _The Beast had no idea what the strange metal contraption the Mad One pushed out of that chamber was, but he most certainly didn't want to find out. He dashed from behind the stone pillar as the contraption let out a 'FUMP'. The Beast was bowled over from the shockwave that came from the exploding pillar behind him. His head was numb as he stumbled away as another 'FUMP' sounded behind him. The top of the den exploded, showering him with shards of stone as it came crashing down. 'FUMP'. Another explosion, this time in front of him. 'FUMP', behind him. 'FUMP'…below him?_

 _With a roar, the Beast and the second floor walkway came tumbling down into the green fog of the bottom floor._

 _Gasping, the Beast surged up out of the fog. It burned his mouth, his lungs, his mind. He needed to get to the Mad One NOW. Heedless of this toxic fog and his injuries, the Beast charged the Mad One._

"Woah, down boy!" The Joker shouted as he fired off another round at the charging monster. It darted to the side, snarling. Far behind it, a wall crumbled upon detonation. As the clown snapped the barrel towards the green behemoth and fired again, it leapt straight up. His head followed the beast even though the cannon didn't. It grabbed ahold of an old banner and used its momentum to swing towards the Clown Prince of Crime. Cursing, the Joker realigned as quickly as he could with his oncoming target and fired. The Beast barely twisted out of the way of the grenade, which detonated upon the very peak of the stone fountain.

"Damn." The clown cursed right before the Beast came crashing into him and the grenade launcher. Roaring, the Beast ripped the device apart. Joker darted forward and smacked his right hand into the side of the preoccupied creature. It howled in pain as the Joker's surprise hand buzzer jolted him with several thousand volts of electric agony. Muscles involuntarily twitching, the Beast staggered to the side, its heaving leading it the inhale much more of the deadly Joker Venom. The clown laughed and dashed away from the creature towards the nearest exit. He had another toy he wanted to use. Behind him he heard another snarl as the creature realized he was escaping.

The Joker couldn't help but laughing some more as he reached the fire extinguisher box located next to the exit. Only, this didn't hold an extinguisher. It held a miniature flame thrower.

He snatched it out and turned around to find the Beast hurtling towards him, bloody froth oozing from its mouth and a deep psychotic rage in its eyes. He smiled once more. "Good boy…now, play dead!"

As the Beast closed the distance to arm's length in between them, the Joker ignited the device in his arms and set towering green behemoth aflame. It screeched to a halt, its claws digging deep gashes into the ceramic floor as it howled and beat the flames in its fur. It flailed around, smashing into anything and everything. The Joker started laughing again, which turned out to be a bad idea when the Beast backhanded him through the nearest wall.

The Joker hadn't taken a hit like that in quite some time, so it was quite understandable when he didn't get up immediately. Having had bounced across the parking lot several dozen feet, he now lay outside in the pouring rain, gasping for breath and trying to count the number of bones the monster had broken in his body. Quite a few, if the clown had to guess. Still, he had to get out of here while the Beast was injured. Surely it couldn't take anymore after having been blown up, shot, shocked, and burned, right?

A roar sounded from the mall.

"I do believe it's time to go." The Joker muttered as he lurched to his feet. He hadn't been in this much pain since that time Batman put him in a body cast for six months for killing that one Robin.

The sound of splashing and heavy stomps came from behind him. He turned and found the Beast standing there, gibbering and snarling. A thick, bloody froth dripped from his maw as pounced on the villain and pinned him down. The Joker barely jerked his head out of the way of the jaws that snapped down where it once was. Snarling his own obscenities, the Clown Prince slapped a hand to his chest, where a little white flower popped out of his coat pocket. The Beast glared at the flower.

Just in time for it to spurt acid into his eye.

Howling in pain, the Beast leapt back and clutched its face. It tore whole chunks of flesh away, willingly injuring itself just to get the corrosive material away from itself. The Joker took this as his opportunity to escape and started crawling away. He paused only when he heard the crunching of metal. Curious, he looked over the shoulder.

The Beast loomed over him, a car clutched high above its head in its bloody claws. Half of its torn away face was pouring blood, but it was already beginning to heal. Its remaining eye shone with one thing: his death.

As the car came whooshing down, the Joker could only shake his head. "Where's Bats when you need him?"

* * *

She was tired and cold and soaked. It had been raining for hours, with no signs of her beloved. Clutching her head, Raven sat upon the rooftop of the tallest building in Gotham, Wayne Industries. She had been flying around the city endlessly ever since the incident at the school. So many thoughts had run through her head at that time that she couldn't keep track of even one on them. All she knew that was she had to find Gar and fix this. She had to heal his mind so that they could heal their souls together.

Speaking of souls, she was becoming increasingly worried about their bond. Pride had been trying to use it to find him to no avail. It was as if there was something blocking it. It worried Pride just as much as it worried Raven.

 _Anything?_ The violet haired girl wearily asked her inner demon.

 _ **Nothing.**_ Came the miserable reply.

 _Are you sure? I mean, what could block a bond of this magnitude?_

 _ **Yes…I am sure.**_ Pride said hesitantly.

 _What are you hiding from me?_ Raven asked.

 _ **Nothing…**_

 _You LITERALLY can't lie to me, Pride._

 _ **I…have a concern. But I'm hoping it's just paranoia.**_

 _And that would be…?_

 _ **Well…as you are aware, I bonded Garfield, and thus the Beast, to us in the form of body. But the truth is that I supplied the majority of the bond in its entirety.**_

 _That would explain why it's strong enough to cause reactions in each other, which, as you know, I was dubious of the others being able to do. So what about it?_ Raven nodded to herself, heedless of the rain and wind. She then sensed Pride's hesitation in answering. _Pride? What did you do?_

 _ **I had to put a piece of our soul in him and a piece of his soul in us to cement the bond and to be able to use it to track each other.**_

 _That…sounds questionable. Why am I not liking where this conversation is going?_

 _ **Because I took a piece of his soul that was important when it came to his powers, and thus his Beast.**_

 _And that would be…?_

 _ **I…took his con-**_

A sudden howl in the distance in the air rose the hairs on Raven's rain slicked neck. She jumped up, looking around. Her soul quivered as hard as her body did. It was Garfield! It had to be him! But where? Where did it come from? She had to know!

 _Pride, is there anything we can do to get him to do that again?!_

 _ **Of course! Howl back!**_

Raven's face screwed up in confusion. _Beg pardon?_

Her face twisted in a scowl as Pride surged forward and took control of their body. She exhaled every ounce of breath in her lungs as her eyes split. As she inhaled long and deep, the very fabric of reality seemed to twitch around them as the half demoness drew great tides of eldritch power into herself. The magic that was inherently in the world wasn't the kind she was used to using (being a darkness sorceress), so she couldn't keep it up for very long. The air sparked and flickered with magic, swirling around the girl as she reached for every bit her already exhausted body could handle. Within moment, it became a swirling, multi-hued vortex around the sorcery-using half demon.

In truth it hardly any magic, especially compared to the spells she had used to defeat her father or even reach back in time to rescue a wayward Cyborg.

But it was just enough.

The power coursing through her, she flung her head back and roared into the sky. Her demonic eyes flared with lightning flashes as the storm tripled with intensity around her. Her cry shook the building with its raw power as lightning rippled outward in all directions. Her howl was heard throughout the entirety of the city. Many a citizen trembled in fear, though they knew not what they had heard.

The last vestiges of power slipping from her grasp, Raven dropped to her knees gasping. _Wow, okay, THAT was new._

 _ **Not really.**_ Pride huffed. _**It wasn't even a spell, I just absorbed as much latent magic as our entropy-ridden body could handle and expelled it with our vocal cords. Wherever he is, he heard it.**_

 _Are you sure-_

Another howl sounded in the distance, but Raven's head snapped in its direction this time. Southwest. Without another word, the shadows swept up around her and propelled her through the air. Normally she wouldn't use them for flight, but it was faster this way. She could technically guess where he was and teleport, but she might end up playing Marco Polo with him. Once upon a time that might have been an amusing idea, but with him like this it might not be a good idea.

As she flew through the rain, she kept her head sweeping from side to side, looking for anything that might indicate that he was in the area. Another howl sounded in the distance. She altered her flight in the new direction, more south now, and flew as fast as her body would allow. Her body was becoming plastered with incoming rain, her speed causing them to hit her with such a force that welts formed. She didn't feel a single out of pain, so great was her worry. She had to find-

She halted in midflight as a new sound filled there air. An explosion? Where? She peered out into the pouring rain. There were many buildings in the area. Apartments, stores, gas stations, a couple of car lots. Nothing that looked like it was under attack and no panicking emotions from civilians. Grimacing, she continued on her path.

It wasn't long before the sound of more explosions filled the air. Eight explosions this time, roughly two to five seconds in between them. Gar must have finally found the Joker. This was bad. There was already too much blood spilled, she couldn't let him kill the maniac (even if she wanted to rip him to shreds).

Another howl filled the air, this one in pain. Raven trembled. Gar was hurt!

She rocketed towards the general direction of the sound. She heard another howl within a couple of minutes, this one a roar of anguish. Gar was _really_ hurt. But where was he? She was getting frantic now, whipping her head back in forth as she catapulted through the sky. Where was he? Where?!

Yet another howl drew her attention, this time to what looked like a mini mall in the distance. Yes! That was it! He was there! He had to be! Blasting forward, she heard yet _another_ anguished howl. Her fear for his safety pushed her even harder to reach him.

When she did find him, he was standing over the Joker with a Cadillac Oldsmobile raised high over his head in the torrential rain. She spat out her mantra as quickly as she could as he smashed it down onto the prone man.

It was just _barely_ in time that she raised a shield over their fallen foe.

The Beast lifted the car and stared at the black wall in confusion. With a snarl, it slammed the car into the wall over and over again. Raven floated towards him warily. In her empathic senses, he registered as a swirling black void of hatred and rage. His eyes didn't even hold an ounce of sentience as he repeatedly beat the car against her shield.

 _Pride, reach him through the bond. I'm not sure if I can get through to him when he's like this._

 _ **Already working on it.**_

"Gar, stop!" Raven called out. Lightning crackled overhead as the Beast ceased moving and slowly turned to stare at her. Goosebumps crawled up her back as he let out a low warning growl. She held up her hands and patted the air passively. "Garfield…it's me. Don't you recognize me?"

The Beast tossed the car to the side and stomped a few steps in her direction. He growled again and slammed his fists into the asphalt. A spiderweb of cracks cascaded out around his feet from the might of his blow.

"Garfield! Calm down, please! It's just me, you know me!" Raven's voice trembled as she floated a bit away from him. _Pride, any day now would be nice!_

 _ **I'm trying damnit!**_

The Beast howled once more and surged forward. With a yelp, Raven threw up a shield between her and him. He slammed into and snarled once more. He hopped back and began to pound the shield with his fists. In her weakened state it wouldn't take much to break. She took a deep breath and phased through the ground. She rose herself back up by the Joker. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Well now, girlie, come to put your mutt back on the lease?" He cackled. Raven kicked him in the head before dropping a shield around him. He lay there, stunned and unable to move. In this time, the Beast had whipped back around and faced her once more.

"Garfield…come on…snap out of it!" She called out. "It's me, Raven. I…I know I ran away from everything and I'm sorry. I couldn't handle everything that had happened so I ran away. I'm sorry. Please calm down. I want to go home with you. Please."

The Beast howled once more, slamming his fists down in random places. Bloody oozed from his mouth as he gibbered and snarled at her. He started inching forward, his muscles taunt to spring. Raven edged backwards a bit. _Pride! You need to hurry the fuck up!_

Her demon half's voice was barely audible in her head over the sound of the rain in her ears. _**I…I can't reach him.**_

The Beast dashed forward and slammed his fists down onto the Joker's shadowy prison. It cracked under his might but didn't break. Raven made a slashing motion with her hand as she chanted.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Pillars of dark energy rained down upon her beloved, pinning him to the ground. But in her weakened state, this imprisonment lasted for only for thirty seconds before the Beast's sheer rage brought him surging upwards. He eyed the black shield around the Joker before turning his sight on the violet haired girl. She shivered as the madness in his eyes found a new target.

 _PRIDE!_ She mentally screamed.

 _ **I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm sorry. I can't reach him. He can't hear me. It's my fault. I shouldn't have bonded us that way.**_ Her demon half sobbed in her psyche.

Raven was beyond startled as she leaped back from the now charging Beast. She slung up another shield around herself even as she phased through the ground and some feet away. _Sorry? For what? What did you do, Pride?!_

 _ **I...took his control over his animal instincts.**_

The empath paused in the rain as she watched her beloved smash into the barrier he thought she was in. _You did what?_

 _ **I took his control over his animal instincts. That's why the Beast was able to come out so easily whenever we were in danger. I took the human part of his soul that kept that animal side of him at bay.**_

 _WHY IN TRIGON'S NAME WOULD YOU DO THAT?!_ Raven roared into her own mind. Around them the parking lot cracked for many dozens of feet. Raindrops exploded and the nearest car crumpled in upon itself.

Shame filled Pride's voice. _**Because…I wanted to show off that I had control over the powerful beast that was my mate.**_

 _Show off? To who?!_

 _ **To the demons who are aware of who we are, Raven. By showing them that I had such a mighty companion, they would know that they shouldn't bother me.**_

Raven shook her head. _How in the hell does that make sense? He's got physical might, yes, but he's not on par with true super strength. He damn sure doesn't have demonic strength. As for additional abilities, he can do what animals do. Where is this 'mighty' and 'powerful' coming from?_

There was moment of silence in which Pride didn't answer. Unfortunately, Raven is very intelligent. As the pieces clicked together, she could barely contain her horror.

 _Pride…you didn't!_

… _ **I did.**_ Raven shuddered as he demonic side kept speaking in a quiet voice. _**I gave him the piece our soul that is our rage. It would give him demonic strength and resilience when I invoked the aspect in him. But…with what happened…I lost my influence over him when you shut us all out and left him. I didn't get to place a ward around our aspect. It's been growing in his mind ever since we left. And now…**_

Raven stared out at her love as he finally shattered the barrier. When he found that she wasn't there, he howled his rage into the storm and whipped around. When he found her, he roared once more and charged.

 _ **Now his rage is that of a demons'.**_ Pride whispered. _**I cannot reach him.**_

"This is my fault." Raven murmured somberly as the distance closed between them. Inside her, the snapping of chains could be heard. Her other emotions cried out as Grief surged forward once more. It _was_ her fault. She could have stayed there with him while dealing with her broken heart and soul. It really _wouldn't_ have hurt anything. She should have stayed. He wouldn't have snapped under such stress if she was still there. They could have talked everything out and healed together. She even could have kept her distance from him. He would have known she was still there but could have kept his distance until she was ready. She would have been there to talk him out of blaming himself. She should have been there for him like he tried to be there for her.

 _It was her fault._

As the Beast bounded forward with his arm reared back, Raven closed her eyes and whispered. "I love you Garfield."

Lightning illuminated claws as blood mixed with water.

* * *

 _ **Ahem...soooo...*nervously pulls at collar* I'm sure you're all very...ohwouldyoulookatthatiforgottoturntheovenoffgottagobye! *runs like hell*  
**_


	23. I Know Your Heart

_**hey everyone, Foamy here. I wasn't sure if I'd get this posted tonight cause I'm EXHAUSTED. As such, no review responses this time, though I hope you guys and gals are ready for this. I know I've been ready for it for a while. Read and review please! *nods off***_

* * *

In truth, she had expected to die.

Everything was her fault. If she hadn't have left, Garfield wouldn't have snapped. He'd be as broken as her, yes, but he wouldn't have gone off the proverbial deep end. Even with her emotions suppressed, just her presence would have kept him at least somewhat anchored to reality. He had always been fixated on her, so it was very likely that he would have pushed all his grief and anguish to the side and waited on her hand and foot. He had rarely left her alone before they got together, after all. It was this very annoying trait that made her fall for him to begin with. He never left her alone.

When they got together, things had gotten better. Sure, he was still the annoying goofball around their friends, but he was attentive and affectionate. Raven had loved that he was this way for her, had loved that he would pause a game or abandon it altogether just for her. She, in turn, would set aside her books or put them down completely just for him. On more than one occasion they dropped what they were doing just to snuggle on the couch. Raven had never know how nice it was to be wrapped in a loving embrace before that bizarre Valentine's Day. Granted, her immense denial and inability to recognize her feelings for Garfield is what led to Starfire's and her emotions drastic actions that day.

Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like if the drink hadn't been involved. She doubted she would have preformed the ritual, or even slept with him. What would have happened? Would Love have really faded away to nothingness? Would she have been able to recognize her feelings for the changeling before that happened? Would he have loved her back? She wasn't exactly a nice person.

On the other hand, what if the ritual wasn't involved? What if she had gotten drunk and slept with him anyways? Her heart was already fixated on him, so it was quite possible. But without the bond there, how would she have reacted? Would she have horribly injured him like her fit of rage demanded? Would she have destroyed her friendship and any chance of something more just because of her denial?

She hated herself for that. _Denial_. It had been the most harmful thing in her existence. When Cyborg and Robin had their first big fight and her big brother had left, her denial had annihilated a quarter of the common room. When they had first watched Wicked Scary, her denial had manifested her fears to haunt the tower. With Terra, her refusal to help the girl with her powers had led to so many others things. As she grew older, her denial to tell her friends about being the Portal had almost gotten them killed on several occasions. When Trigon came, her denial about being able to being able to stop him almost destroyed the world. With Malchior, her refusal to think she wasn't alone had almost gotten her friends killed. Her denying the things she felt for Garfield had led them on perhaps the most beautiful yet painful adventure of their young lives. Her denial after losing the baby had broken Gar and put her in a hole so dark that she was ready to die.

She was tired of denying things. She loved him, but she had driven him mad.

And so, she accepted that she was going to die here by his hands. She had already forgiven him, though she doubted that he would ever forgive himself if he regained his mind.

She wondered if dying hurt. The force of his blow would probably kill her instantly; she had never been a physically fit person, even less so for the past nine months. It was almost amusing to think that she was going to die on what should have been the first day of the last month of her pregnancy.

Only…she didn't die.

Curiously enough, the sound of rain in her left ear had become muffled and it was no longer raining on her head. She cracked her left eye open and found her vision filled with green. Her other eye slowly opened.

The Beast had halted his own strike by latching his jaws into his bicep and grabbing his forearm with his other hand. Blood poured freely from where his claws dug into himself, as it did where his teeth were sank deeply into his flesh.

Garfield had stopped himself from killing herself at the last second.

"Gar?" She whispered hopefully.

The sound of tearing flesh mixed with rain as the Beast released himself and took several steps back. He did not make eye contact with her.

"Garfield, look at me." Raven called to him as she stepped forward. Her love shook his head and shuffled away from her. She cried out, "Why?!"

"Beast…does not deserve mate." He mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

The Beast sat on his haunches and clutched his head, whimpering. "Beast failed mate. Mate got hurt. Cub died. Mate left. Beasts' fault. Must prove to mate that Beast can do better, that Beast can protect her. Beast failed. Couldn't protect mate. Couldn't protect cub. Lost mate and cub. Beasts' fault. Beast…can't face mate. Not worthy. Must find way to make mate happy. Must make up for failing. Beast can't look at mate. Beast failed. Couldn't protect mate. Couldn't protect cub. Beast failed…"

Tears mixed with rain as Raven approached him. He sat there whimpering and repeating his failures over and over again like some sort of demented mantra. Tenderly she reached out and wrapped her arms around his head. He looked up as she drew him in close and lay her head against his. She wept into his blood and rain soaked fur.

"Gar, it's my fault too." She sobbed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone. I broke my promise. I pushed you away when we needed each other the most. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I…I can't do this without you. I want to go home, but I won't go without you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm…"

"What are you talking about, Rae? I'm the one who should be saying that." A muffled voice said.

Raven looked down to find a now-human Garfield with his face squashed between her breasts. She hadn't even noticed him change, so she shook her head in disbelief. "No, it's my fault. I shoulder have-"

"Raven." He said softly. She looked down into his haunted eyes. "I told you I would always protect you. I failed. Its my fault."

A months old argument fluttered across her mind and she gave him a small smile. "We're going to argue about this until we're old, aren't we?"

Garfield looked confused for a moment as he struggled with the memory. When he finally did remember, he too smiled. "Yeah. Maybe I'll win this one."

"As if." Raven kissed his head. She felt him smile into her breasts as his weary arms wrapped around her waist.

"I'm sorry Rae. I couldn't protect you." He whispered. She clutched his head tighter.

"I'm sorry Gar. I pushed you away." More tears slid down her face. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm _exhausted_ beyond belief and I can barely remember anything. I _hurt_ so much right now that I don't know if I can move."

She kissed his head again. "You've been the Beast for a few months, Gar. You…"

"I know." He mumbled before looking up at her. "Are you okay, Rae?"

Raven shook her head. "No. I fell into a very serious depression and started wasting away. If it wasn't for Batman pissing me off today…well, I'm not sure if I'd be here."

Garfield shuddered at the thought and tightened his grip on her. Raven noted that even in the pouring rain that he was warmer than her. He was kinda liked a space heater and the thought almost made her giggle.

He glanced up at her smiling face. "What are you giggling about?"

"Nothing." She eased her own grip and ruffled his hair.

"Raaaaaeee!" He complained. "Do you know how long it takes me to make my hair look messy but good?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And just when was the last time that you did your hair?"

"…oh yeah…nevermind…"

Raven rolled her eyes as he chuckled and rubbed his face in her chest. He paused after a moment.

"They feel…smaller…and do I feel ribs?" He said confusedly.

"Of course my boobs are smaller, you stupid elf." She grumbled. "They aren't full of milk anymore and I've lost weight."

Gar frowned. "I never did get to try any of that."

"Of course not, it was for the baby!" Raven huffed before realizing how horrid those words were. Her shoulders sank as the sorrow came back tenfold. But there was a slight pressure on her knees demanding her attention. It was Gar's hand. She gently knelt down, his arms wrapping around her neck and pulling her close. He lay his head on her shoulder, against hers.

"I love you Raven." He murmured into her ear. "And I love our baby too."

Raven's words came out as barely a mumble. "I love you too Garfield. And just so you know…it was a boy."

"A boy, huh?" Gar whispered. "I bet he would a been as smart as his momma."

Raven shook her head. "No, he would have been as tenacious as his father."

"I dunno what that word means but-"

"Oh for the love of Christ, will you two shut up already?" An irritated voice called out. Both teems heads jerked towards the Joker, who was making gagging noises. "Seriously, I'll choke on my on barf at this rate!"

"Raven…"

"I want to kill him more than you do, so don't _even_ make a joke about clowns tasting funny." Raven growled. The changelings ears drooped.

"Darn…"

Before either teem could threaten the clown with bodily harm, they heard the sound of footsteps treading water. Both whipped their heads around to find Batman, Batgirl, and…

"Jinx!" They both exclaimed.

The pink haired girl smirked at them. "Hey."

"I thought you were dead?" Raven gaped at her. The witch shrugged but looked away.

"Maybe they lied." She said evasively.

"Why lie about that?"

Jinx crossed her arms. "A lot of people lie a out different things. Don't they, Batman?"

The Dark Knight, who had silently made his was to his long time nemesis, merely nodded. "Indeed."

"Better late than never, I suppose." The Joker grumbled.

"I honestly thought about letting him eat you." Batman said darkly.

"You wouldn't do that, Batsy. We'd never be able to finish our game." Joker laughed.

" _ **Game?"**_

The clown's laugh died as that familiar voice spoke up. He turned to find a demonic eyed Raven wiggling out of the green boys' arms. She paid no heed to his protests.

" _ **You think of the things you do as playing a**_ _ **game?!"**_ Raven shouted.

"Of course!" The Joker cackled. "Life's one big joke and _I'm_ the punchline!"

" _ **Is that so?"**_ The half demon lurched forward towards him. Instantly, Batman jumped between them but was blasted off his feet. He landed with a thud some feet away. Unperturbed, Raven approached her fallen for.

" _ **If that's the case, Joker, I have a joke for you."**_

Joker grinned. "Hit me, kid. Gimme your best shot!"

A dark, demonic smile lit up Raven's four eyed face. _**"How do you make a clown cry?"**_

Said clown raised an eyebrow in thought. After a minute, he shrugged. "No clue."

The half demoness leaned down close to his face. _**"You take away the things that make him smile."**_

Before the Joker, or anyone else for that matter, could react she wrapped black magic-clad hands around his head. Within seconds he was screaming bloody murder. Despite being battered and bruised, he thrashed. His hands scrabbled uselessly at Ravens, trying in vain to release her demonic grip.

Batman charged the girl, thinking to pry her off his old foe. Unfortunately for him, her tendrils of shadow reacted instantly, wrapping around him and holding him aloft in the air. Garfield tried in vain to stand, but he didn't have the energy to do so. Jinx just watched. No way in hell she was sticking her neck out for some psycho.

After what felt like forever, the demoness stopped, as did the screaming. She pulled away from the Joker, who lay on the ground gasping. With just a thought, she lowered the dark knight. He sprung forward and crouched over the prone man. Whipping out a small flashlight, he started checking vitals.

It wasn't until he shined the light in the Jokers eyes did he see the tears.

"Joker?" He said softly.

The clown's eyes focused on him and he whimpered. "I tortured a teenage girl and I'm half responsible for her losing her baby…My God…what have I done?"

Batman's eyes widened before he snapped his head towards the retreating Raven. He called out, "Raven…what did you do to him?"

She paused some feet away from Garfield and cast get gaze back at the older hero. Her voice was as soft as the rain. "I took away everything that makes him happy, everything he finds funny."

Batman stared at the girl in confusion. "You what?"

"I took away his madness, Batman. He now remembers every crime he committed, every person he killed, every soul he harmed. The hundreds that are dead because of him will haunt his dreams until he dies. Including my child." Raven said coldly. Batman looked down at his oldest enemy, who was weeping uncontrollably.

"And if this drives him mad?" Batman asked quietly.

" _ **Then I will come back and break him again."**_

The dark knight didn't need to look up to see the deathly glare leveled his way.

Raven, done with that whole situation, turned back to Gar. He was still kneeling, and breathing heavily. Several of his wounds weren't healing at all.

"Why aren't you healing?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his head once more. He looked up at her wearily.

"I inhaled something, some gas, while fighting him. It's taking everything I have to fight it."

No sooner than the words had left his mouth did a vial of something purple come rolling across the rain soaked asphalt next to them. Both teens looked down at it, then at the deliverer.

"It was Joker Gas, a weaker version of Joker Venom. That's the antidote." Batman said as he pulled the former clown to his feet and began dragging him towards the Batmobile.

"Bleh, I hate needles." Gar stuck his tongue out.

Raven rolled her eyes. "You got _liquefied_ , don't be a baby because you've got to get a shot-AH!"

Raven almost jumped out of her skin when a hand popped her right on the butt. She glared dangerously down at a smirking changeling as she rubbed her stinging bottom. "What the hell Gar?!"

He grinned cheekily at her. "When was the last time I got to do that?"

She had no answer, so she rolled her eyes. "Too tired to stand but not too tired to cop a feel, huh?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Oookay lovebirds. We need to get going." Jinx interrupted. The two battered teens glanced at the witch, who had removed the black bands from her hair to let it hang free. It was remarkably long and actually looked pretty good let down.

"You still haven't told us what you're doing here, Miss Supposedly-Dead." Raven frowned.

Jinx shrugged. "I had to make sure you'd bring my MP3 player back."

Raven stared at her friend for a long moment before her eyes widened. Jinx saw this and grinned. Beast Boy, confused, looked back and forth between them. Raven started shaking her head.

"I'm as thick skulled as Garfield to not realize Jinx and Janette were the same person. I eve thought Janette was ridiculously like you."

The pink haired girl laughed. "You were pretty easy to fool, Raven. Babysitting you every day wasn't as bad as I thought."

"Dudes, don't leave me out!" Garfield whined. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you when we get home, Gar." Raven kissed his head again. "And Jinx will tell us her story too."

The changeling nodded. "We're in Gotham, right? How are we getting home?"

"Actually, I have that covered." Jinx sighed. "I had to give up Rainbow Dash and Twilight, but it's arranged."

Beast Boy and Raven exchanged confused glances. She gave up what and what to who now?

* * *

Robotman flicked through the camera feeds throughout the city, utterly bored out of his mind. It had been days since there had been any crime. He wound up helping Cyborg and Starfire work on Titans Tower for the past couple of weeks, not that that was any fun. Cyborg was both paranoid _and_ OCD about how it was going. As far as Cliff could tell, it was gonna be damn near the same as it was before all this crazy shit had happened. There were upgrades to the defenses, yeah, but that was it.

He glanced at the clock. Ten, on the dot. He sighed, even though he had no lungs. Everyone else was out for the night. Mento and Elastigirl hadn't slept very well or very much in the past couple of months. He couldn't blame them. They were _just_ starting to warm up to the idea of Raven being their daughter-in-law when all hell broke loose. They were on the other side of the planet when it happened, so they couldn't even rush over and help. Now their adopted son had gone off the deep end and disappeared. There were rumors of a green monster in the Gotham area, which worried his team leader. If it _was_ Beast Boy and people figured it out, there would be hell to pay.

Rita was a wreck. She had been really starting to look forward to being a grandmother. She even accepted Raven, which took more than a little soul searching. Ever since the girl disappeared though, Rita had just gotten sadder and sadder as time passed.

To outsiders, Negativeman didn't appear phased by anything that had happened. But few people knew Larry as well as Cliff did. His apathetic friend was grieving in his own way. Mainly, drowning himself in as many books as he could get his bandaged hands on.

Cliff chuckled. Little wonder why he and Raven got along.

The other Titans weren't in the best shape either, though they clung to each other for support. Robin and Starfire would only separate while fighting crime. They ate together, traveled together, slept together, and he was pretty sure they bathed together. He didn't really have an issue with it, but they both seemed to wilt a but when the other wasn't around.

Cyborg, on the other hand, kept himself busy. He was always out and about doing something, whether working on the tower, patrolling in his recovered car, or tinkering with the Doom Patrol's equipment. From what Robotman remembered, the cyborg was supposed to be an avid gamer, but not to Beast Boys extent. He had asked the young man about that once and Cyborg's answer was pretty disheartening for a guy with no heart to hear.

"I can't play games without my little bro here. There's no fun in it if I can't beat him." Cyborg had said.

Presently, Robotman was pondering who'd come keep him company. He bet himself five dollars that it'd be Mento again. If he was wrong, he'd wax Cyborgs car. Yeah, that'd work. A stupid bet, but hey, he had nothing better to do.

Without warning, every camera feed suddenly changed into the visage of an overweight young man with long red hair, beady raccoon-like eyes, and mores chins than a Hong Kong phone book.

"Hey! What the hell, Foam?! Fat jokes, really?!" Control Freak shouted to no one.

Robotman looked around the empty room before he looked back at the fat guy. "Can I help you kid?"

The ex villain huffed before clearing his throat. "Yeah, so…ahem…GREETINGS DOOM PATROL! IT IS I, CONTROL FRE-"

His voice suddenly cut out, but he kept talking. He kept talking for several minutes before he noticed the little symbol on the screen. He gestured angrily at the symbol, apparently shouting at the older hero.

"Look kid, there's people around here that's sleeping. You really wanna piss them off?"

Control Freak hesitated, then opened his coat. He pulled out a stack of papers and began to read the section labeled 'Doctor Light'. When he got to the end his eyes bulged and he started shaking his head. Robotman chuckled.

"Smart move." He said as he unmuted the call. "Now, whaddaya want?"

"I, uh, actually _do_ need them awake. I need to tell everyone something." Control Freak mumbled.

Cliff would have raised an eyebrow if he had one. "Alright kid, but it's your funeral."

* * *

It took about thirty minutes, but Cyborg, Robin, Starfire, Elastigirl, Mento, Negativeman, and Robotmam all stood before the computer.

"You had better have a really good reason for waking us up, Eugene." Robin grumbled. Starfire yawned and leaned against him.

The former villain smirked. "Actually, I'm just the delivery boy."

There was a unanimous 'Huh?' from everyone, which made the fat man snicker. On screen, he held up his remote and pointed it at them. With a click, a staticy ray shot out of the television and hit the center of the group. Seeing as it had been relatively dark in the room (not including the TV's glow, all covered their eyes at the brightness. When it was over, they slowly lowered their arms.

And forgot how to breath.

Standing before the was Raven, looking worn out and world weary beyond belief, Beast Boy, who looked like hell had chewed him up only to spit him back out cause he started biting back, and Jinx, who was looking around warily.

Starfire was the first to react. She took a step forward, her eyes set on Raven.

"…friend Raven?" She whispered. "Is that really you?"

Raven smiled at her softly. "Sure is, Star. Where's my hug?"

Before the last syllable had even left her mouth, inhumanly strong arms wrapped around her and squeezed. Starfire's head buried itself in her shoulder as the girl wept and apologized over and over again. Raven wrapped her arks around her friend and trued to calm her down.

Beast Boy, who's limp form had been supported by both the girls, teetered forward, dragging the witch along with him. He didn't even have time for a yelp before a pair of metallic arms caught him and pick him straight up off the ground. Cyborg stared at his buddy, who gave him a lopsided grin.

"Sup dude?" The changeling chuckled.

"Maaaan, where the _hell_ have you been BB?" Cy glared.

The grin widened as he gestured downwards. "Aw come'on Cy, you know I like to just hang around."

Cyborg stared at him for a long moment before he started shaking his head. A tear leaked out and trailed down his face. "Don't you ever scare me like that again bro. Not _ever_ again, you hear me?"

Beast Boy nodded, his own eyes getting teary. "I got ya dude, don't worry."

Robin decided to wait his turn with them and approached Jinx instead. She glanced him before lowering her eyes to the floor. "Hey Rob."

"Its good to see you alive and well, Jinx…but I need answers." Robin said calmly. The other Titans glanced at him then her. The witch nodded.

"I know. Let BB and Rae finish, then we'll get to me."

Robin nodded, then turned back to his friends. Raven and Beast Boy had slight smirks on their faces as he spoke.

"Titans…report."

"Titan Zero Two, Garfield Mark Logan, codename Beast Boy, reporting for duty. Sitrep, requiring medical attention for burns, chemical exposure, bullet wounds, and Joker Gas in lungs. Antidote on hand." The changeling had said this while trying to salute. Seeing as he hadn't regained much control over his motor functions, he only managed to flop his arm around. He glared at it as Raven too responded.

"Titan Zero Five, Raven, reporting for duty. Sitrep, requiring medical attention for muscle entropy, malnourishment, lack of sleep, and visits to a psychiatrist." Raven said tiredly from in her friends arms.

"Understood." Robin nodded. There was silence for a few minutes, in which the caped crusader visibly relaxed and deflated. He looked at his friends sorrowfully. "Are you guys okay?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "I feel and look like crap."

Raven nodded. "Likewise."

Robin sighed. "Well…get all the rest you need. I don't expect you to come back to duty anytime soon, if ever. But I want you two in tiptop shape ASAP."

"Awww, come on Dick, training already?!" The changeling whined.

Richard Grayson shook his head. "No…but I'd like to be able to sleep at night knowing you two are okay."

That certainly shushed Garfield. Chastised, he looked away and met the stares of the Doom Patrol. He smiled at Mento and Elastigirl. "Hey."

"Look what the cat dragged in." Mento swallowed the urge to snatch his adopted son up and hug him. Rita didn't.

She had plucked the changeling out of his friends arms and hugged him so tightly that he started to turn purple. His protests came out as squeaks as his adopted mother cried silent tears. Her eyes moved towards Raven and the empath had no warning whatsoever before the older heroine pulled her from Starfire's grasp.

It startled Raven, to say the least. She and Rita hadn't been on the beat terms last time they spoke, so she wasn't expecting anything from the older woman per say.

"I'm sorry Raven." Rita whispered.

A fresh tear skid down Raven's cheek. "Not as sorry as I am."

Rita nodded and pulled away. Wiping her tears away, she looked at the two barely standing teens. "Robin is right, you two need rest. We can all sit down and talk later."

"Thanks Ma." Gar grinned.

"Welcome home son." Mento said as he approached. Rita pushed him forward, where he awkwardly hugged. He glanced at Raven. "And daughter."

"Mmmm, weird hugs are the best." The changeling chuckled when Raven hesitated to reply.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Thanks for ruining the moment Gar."

His laugh was interrupted by a voice. "I need someone to call Wally."

They all turned and looked at Jinx, who had kept her eyes planted on the floor. Cyborg glanced at Robin, who nodded. He pulled up the communicator in his arm and punched in the speedsters comlink. Within a minute a rather grumpy voice answered.

"Vic, I'm _barely_ sleeping as it stands. What the _hell_ do you need so late?"

Jinx visibly winced at his tone, so Cy kept it short. "Sorry man, but I need you at the Jump City Doom Patrol headquarters ASAP. We got a place for you to crash afterwards."

There was a sigh. "Fiiinneeee."

The link cut. Cyborg moved in front of Jinx and faced the door. Within thirty seconds the yellow speedster was standing there. He did not look happy until he spotted his wayward friends.

"Beast Boy, Raven!" He grinned. "Glad to see you two alive and kickin'."

"Almost didn't make it _alive_ or _kicking_ to be honest dude." Beast Boy chuckled darkly. Kid Flash grimaced.

"At least you two are here now, unlike…" He trailed off sadly.

"Unlike me?" A soft voice said from behind Cyborg. Kid Flash's head snapped in that direction as the mechanical man stepped away to reveal a certain pink haired witch. He eyes bulging, he could only gape at her.

"Hi Wally." Jinx said in a really small voice as she looked up at him.

"But…you died." Wally eyes teared up.

"No…I ran away." Jennifer lowered her head in shame.

Kid Flash couldn't believe that. "Ran away? Why?"

Jinx's arms wrapped around herself in a hug. Sorrow could be heard in her voice. "It…it was because of Seemore. He _died_ protecting me, Wally."

"How does that…?" he trailed off once more, but in confusion this time.

"Wally, I've known Seemore for _years._ We entered Hive together. We _trained_ together. He was one of the alternative members of the three man group I ran before the HIVE Five. Heck, he was IN that group too _._ He was always a sweet but dorky guy. He was…kinda like the Beast Boy of our group. He actually had a pretty big crush on me for a while, but I never did anything about it. I turned down his HIVE dance invitation to go with Cyborg, who was undercover. I always did kinda regret telling him no. At least _he_ wouldn't have ruined my night." Jinx sighed. "Wally…he was the one who helped me rescue you. He was the one who kept the others busy while we ran off. He was the one who kept Gizmo from tracking us down out of spite. And now…he's dead because he chose to wrap me in that eye bubble instead of fighting back. It _really_ hurt and I couldn't deal with it. So…I told Batman to tell everyone I was dead and had him drop me off in Gotham. But that damned man set me up to be his little spy in the boarding house I was in, babysitting Raven."

"But…what about me?" Wally asked quietly. "Do you know how much its hurt _me_ , knowing that _I_ couldn't save _you?_ "

"I was hoping you'd move on, find someone better than a girl who couldn't protect her friends." Came her mumbling response.

Cyborg chose to interrupt at this point. "Raven, Jinx, you two aren't related are you?"

Everyone stared at him in confusion. He shrugged. "Well, they're both dark and mysterious girls with odd skin tones, weird hair, magic powers, a strange taste in boyfriends, and they both make bad decisions. They gotta be relayed, right?"

Raven looked skeptically at Jinx, who rolled her eyes. "Nice theory, Chrome Dome, except that I'm fully human and got my metagene and magic around age nine."

She turned back to Wally, who was staring at her. She sighed once more. "Look-"

"I forgive you."

The witch sputtered to a stop and gaped at him. "Really?"

Before the syllable had left her mouth she found herself in his arms, his lips pressed hers. Off to the side, Mento raised an eyebrow.

"Just like that, kid?" He asked.

Kid Flash broke away from the now breathless Jinx and nodded at the older hero. "My brain processes things at a rate you could never attain. I went through thousands of scenarios in my mind during the conversation and decided it wasn't worth being angry over. She did a bad thing by leaving like that, yeah, but the results were A-grade awesome. How could I be mad about that?"

Mento shook his head and grumbled to himself. "Kids these days, I swear. At least you two…"

He trailed off as he turned, finding Raven and Garfield kissing as well. He scowled. "You kids need to get a room…no, wait, that's how this mess started!"


	24. Because You Know Mine

**_HEEELLLLOOOOO READERS! FIRST OFF, LET'S START THIS OFF WITH A HAPPY HOLIDAYS! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU LOT, EVEN IF YOU DON'T CELEBRATE IT! THIS IS MY GIFT TO YOU ALL!_**

 ** _With that being said, I WAS going to give everyone a gag chapter where all of you got strippers of your favorite Titans just for your entertainment. But then Allen Blaster said that was a stupid fucking idea and that nobody would like it._**

 ** _That's a shame, I was gonna get drunk and strip too. Oh well._**

 ** _I wrote you guys this chapter instead, which I will admit has caused me a fair amount of stress. That damned twitch in my right eye has returned from trying to make sure this went well. I like how it turned out though._**

 ** _Now for reviews!_**

 ** _Allen Blaster- Here, enjoy this too. along with yer bus ride. *snickers*_**

 ** _Guest- Read and find out! hehe_**

 ** _Taygon55- tbh, I don't particularly care for Supes. He was just a good stand in and sidekick for Batman. As for mush, have some more! kinda._**

 ** _Tsubaki87- Why doesn't everyone think this is ending?_**

 ** _RPGPersona- You know what? You've been here since the beginning of my story, commented on every chapter. I couldn't ask for more from a reviewer like yourself. It gives me an idea..._**

 ** _Bearhow- THAT is a pretty funny comparison, tbh lol._**

 ** _LostDemonessRaven- Glad you liked it, here's another just for the holidays!_**

 ** _Creepingwillow9- I like to think it's not too shabby, myself. Enjoy this chapter too!_**

 ** _Zafnak- Look, I won't lie. Whether it was Jinx or Seemore that lived was determined by a coin flip. I know there are a lot of Jinx fans out there but I honestly liked Seemore more. I could have taken whole sections of this story in a different direction it fate had decided that he lived instead of her._**

 ** _stavie333- I do too, he was kinda fun to write._**

 ** _Guest- Not quite, so enjoy this chapter too!_**

 ** _Guest- My schedule sucks. Like, legit sucks. And yes, I'll get back to Those Violet Eyes soon enough. In fact, I'll drop a tasty bit of info here in a moment concerning that story._**

 ** _Lord Sicarius- I herd yew liek fluff, so eye got chu sum. ;)_**

 ** _Guest- Worry not, it's not finished yet! I just needed a break from the stress of it._**

 ** _Bluedog197- It has recently occurred to me that you've been on this site for YEARS. I've seen your comments on a number of stories, most of which are really good stories. For you to comment and follow mine...I feel honored. I know you'll enjoy this chapter too._**

 ** _Guest- I don't have a sequel planned, but i've been eyeballing a couple of side stories that stem from this. One of which is REALLY complicated lol._**

 ** _bb-san - this probably isn't soon enough for yer liking, but I hope you enjoy it anyways_**

 ** _DimitraMitsos- Wish granted!_**

 ** _rcw92793- despite that is comment is for chapter 6, I'll answer it anyways. I pondered that too, but at the same time I considered that he really isn't the type to dwell on things that happen in the present. Like, for example, all the times that Raven verbally abuses him. He moves right on past it. I simply applied the same concept. Besides, if his friends could accept Raven's demon side then they should accept his animal side, no? Thinking about it like that means that he really didn't have anything to be ashamed of to begin with._**

 ** _Now, my dear readers...enjoy this chapter! And maybe...just maybe...you could all leave a review for Foamy for his Christmas present? *puppy dog eyes*_**

* * *

 _It's strange to think how my life has turned out. Sired by a demon. Raised by monks. Made friends. Got a family. Destroyed my father. Saved the world. Fell in love. Conceived a baby. Lost said baby. Wasted away from depression. Almost lost the love of my life. Regained my sanity, my love, my life._

 _All before I turn eighteen._

 _Sometimes I wonder if I'm just dreaming, that all the bad things that has happened to me is just one long nightmare. Perhaps I'm actually a normal child and I'm just having bizarre dreams. That wouldn't be too bad. I could write all this down and sell it as a story. I'm certain its bizarreness would sell well to the youth, they love things stranger than them._

 _Or perhaps I'm just home in the Tower, sleeping. I had a long day of fighting crime and I'm just downright exhausted and it's effecting my psyche. The question would be, am I with Gar? Have I told him I love him? I like to think so. Perhaps I'm actually sleeping at his side, his arms wrapped around my chest, tucked up under my breasts. He's fond of sleeping that way, even though he'll roll over after an hour or so. But he always comes back to that position. I think that even in his sleep he knows I love it as much as him. As much as I love him in fact._

 _That's all merely speculation, of course. I know very well that all these things have happened. I know because I wake up every morning to that empty feeling around my belly. The little life that was housed in my womb is gone and the ghost pains I live through every day remind me of my loss without fail. As ridiculous as it sounds, there are times when I react as if I'm still pregnant. For instance, yesterday I was headed for the breakfast table and had a hard time sitting down. Halfway through it I realized my hand was on my belly as if I was trying to balance myself while sitting down. I looked and felt utterly foolish. The others saw this but said nothing. I know they could tell I hadn't realized what I was doing right off hand, yet none of them had the heart to tell me. Gar simply took my hand and squeezed it as I set correctly in my chair. Rita and Steve had sad little frowns on their faces, but ate in silence. Starfire looked like she was going to cry, though Robin took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Cyborg was remorseful. The only way to describe the feelings that I got off of Jinx and Kid Flash is numb. From what I can tell, Jinx hadn't mentally dealt with me losing my child. She pushed it all to the side in her mind and heart so that she could keep walking forward, which is what she did with losing Seymour._

 _Though it's not as painful as having lost my child, losing Seymour weighs heavily on my mind. Gar and I are the ones that dragged him into the Titans and thus are responsible for his death. The fact that the attack was more on us than anyone only sets it in stone._

 _Despite that I've gotten more sleep in the past week than I have in the weeks preceding it, I feel tired. I feel as if the whole world, nay, the universe, sits upon my shoulders. So much pain and suffering in the past few months. My emotions are in a state of constant turmoil. I really have no idea what to do with myself. What do Gar and I do now? Do we return to the Titans? Could we even do that? I don't think I have the heart to go back to being a superhero. But the thing is, where would my life go from there? What would Gar and I do? We aren't old enough to get jobs and a home. Where would we go? With the Doom Patrol? I think not. They're still too active of hero's for my tastes. Not sure if I would want to live with Mento and Elastigirl anyways. I mean, there's nothing wrong with them, we just have different views on things. Take, for example, the fact that Garfield and I haven't slept together once since we returned._

 _Not. One. Night._

 _It's infuriating. I can sleep, yes, but it's not the deep and restful sleep that I need. The only time I can get some kind of semblance of that is when we nap on the couch out in the open. It wasn't directly stated, but Mento and Rita don't want us having sex, which is why we aren't allowed to sleep together. I thought it was because we were underage or perhaps because they didn't want a repeat of what had happened. The truth was much worse._

 _The pain._

 _By Azar's holy word, the pain was INSANE._

 _It was the day before yesterday that Gar and I had a rather…heated…moment. It was late at night and I was the only one awake at the time due to a few light ghost pains in my lower half. It wasn't anything serious, but it was bothersome enough to think that a hot shower might help. I was right, it did help. However…I wasn't expecting to open the door and find a half asleep Garfield standing there. He had heard me up and about and came to check up on me, to see if I needed anything._

 _My sleepy eyed, droopy eared, half-dressed lover had woken up just to take care of me in the dead of night._

 _I won't lie. I pounced on him and drug him into the bathroom. I fully intended to have him right then and there._

 _This was part of me feeling starved of his attentions and part of me needing that empty spot in my filled with something (not quite in the perverted way, though). It was also part of me wanting to forget everything that had happened. I needed him in so many ways that all reasonable thinking disappeared in those few heartbeats._

 _But the thing is…when he pinned me to the floor and entered me, I almost screamed with pain._

 _I have no idea where it came from. I have no idea how it happened. All I know is that it HURT so much that I immediately begged him to stop. All thoughts of intimacy flew from my mind in that instant as I curled up in a ball. Gar started freaking out, trying so hard to figure out what had happened. He was panicking and I was crying, my powers destroying the room around us._

 _Of course it woke everyone up._

 _Mento and Rita were furious for about fifteen seconds and the others were downright confused. I was covered, thankfully, when they arrived. Mento immediately drug Gar out into the hallway and started talking to him. Rita swooped in wrapped me in her arms. It was oddly comforting with the way she kept telling me to take deep breaths and slowly calm down, the pain would fade in a few minutes and I could heal myself if there was any actual damage. I was terrified. How had this happened? Why had this happened? What was wrong with me?_

 _I asked Rita these things and got an answer I didn't really want._

 _She said that she suspected that my body wasn't fully healed on the inside. Combining that with my ghost pains and horrible memories and it was quite possible that my body was downright rejecting Gar. It was a horrid concept, one that I was struggling with._

 _It sounded like she was telling me that I could never be intimate with Gar again._

 _I think she realized this when the toilet exploded, which prompted her to explain to me that this wasn't the end of Gar and I, only that we needed to take things slowly. Very slowly. Three months of denial in mind, body, and soul had literally changed my body and I HAD to be careful with anything we did._

 _When she said it, I felt rather stupid. I let hormones take over for a moment and disaster struck. I should have known better than that. I've felt a bit off since we returned, I just hadn't gotten around to looking into it. I couldn't help that though, all I wanted to do was sleep._

 _Sleeping reminded me that we had woken everyone up and I began to apologize profusely. Rita immediately waved it off, telling me that it wasn't the first time she had dealt with this kind of thing._

 _My confusion was quite obvious to the older woman…who then proceeded to tell me that she had lost two children before giving up._

 _I was absolutely shocked. Gar had never told me this, had never even mentioned he almost had siblings. I pointed this out to Rita and she told me that this was before Gar, that it was the reason why they jumped at the chance to raise him. Something about how they got their powers messed with their fertility when it changed their bodies. Twice Rita had gotten six to eight months along before the child inside her began to break down, to fall apart and die. Twice she had had miscarriages._

 _But they had wanted a baby, so they kept trying._

 _After her first miscarriage, she went through the exact same thing I was going through now (though not to my extreme). A couple of months of stressful depression, followed by a heated attempt to smother all that grief in passion and BOOM, intense pain. It took her time, but she realized that she had to heal her mind, soul, and body all together to move past it._

 _When she had her second miscarriage, it was even harder on her. But she moved past it._

 _And they had been trying to shield me from that._

 _I couldn't stop myself from crying on her shoulder. I was a fool to think I was all better simply because I had (relatively) fixed my mind. I knew I hadn't confronted Grief yet and my body wasn't really in the best of shape for anything either. This healing process would take a long time._

 _Gar came in a couple of minutes later with a solemn look on his face. Very softly he apologized to me and asked if I was okay. I answered him honestly, that no, I was not okay. I had yet again jumped the gun and messed things up. He took me into his arms and kissed my head, telling me that it was his fault too and that we'd make things right._

 _Sometimes I hate how I've become. I'm far from powerless and weak, but here I am being emotional and clueless as to what I should and should not do._

 _But on the other hand…being relatively normal and feeling things like love and joy…it's wonderful._

 _Speaking of love, Gar has been acting kind of odd since that night. He's been giving me strange looks and I can't tell what he's feeling. He's been going through more than a few medical processes to try to get himself back into shape (so to speak). He's been pretty quiet since we returned too. He'll still crack a joke every now and then, but it's nowhere near the frequency that it used to be._

 _Sometimes when he isn't looking I'll just sit there and watch him. He looks tired like me and I can see in his eyes how much it hurts that he failed to protect me._

 _I hope he's not planning on babying me and shutting me away from the world to 'protect me'. I might just have to smack him upside the head for that. I'm hurting but I'm not inconsolable._

 _I miss my baby. I wanted to know what your voice sounded like, how you laughed, what would make you smile. Would you love your father and I? Would you resent us for not being human? What's your favorite color? Would you like animals? How about books? Would you have Gar's powers or mine? Maybe both?_

…

 _Now I just feel silly, writing stuff like this in a diary._

* * *

Raven set her pen down and sat back in the chair at her desk. She looked towards the door and wondered if he was ever going to knock. Gar had been standing outside for a good thirty minutes, his emotions in turmoil. He was nervous, uncertain, excited, anxious, and frightened all at the same time. It was a rather curious mix for someone like him.

"Just knock already." She whispered. She knew he heard her when he emotionally quietened.

 _Knock knock knock._

Silently, she got up and approached the was rather curious as to what he was up to and why he had been acting oddly.

Of course, she wasn't expecting to see a giant green polar bear standing in the hallway on its hind legs.

"Gar?" She asked confusedly. "What are you doing?"

"Um, hi! It's, uh, well, a bear-o-gram." He stammered before holding out some flowers. "Here, these are for you!"

She took the flowers, some lovely tulips that looked suspiciously like the ones that were in a planter in front of the building next door. She inhaled their pleasant fragrance and smiled at him. "That you Gar, they're beautiful. But what are you doing?"

The green bear scratched the back of its neck nervously. "I…I wanted to see you."

Raven stared at him in even more confusion. "Huh? We've seen each other every day…"

Gar shifted from one hairy foot to another. "Look, Rae…you've been through hell in the past few months, and not for the first time. I was thinking that maybe we could just…take a walk and talk. Maybe it'll make you feel better. I know it's hard to believe since I'm a bear, but just _bear_ with it. Come with me, Rae."

"Are you…are you asking me out on a date?" Raven's face screwed up in disbelief. He couldn't be serious, right? He doesn't need to ask her that, he can just take her on one…

"No!" He shouted. "I mean, if I was, I'd bring flowers _and_ candy. Well, flowers that I didn't borrow from next door."

That answered where he got the flowers, but he _wasn't_ asking her out on a date? That hurt and she couldn't keep it from her face.

She had never seen a bear grimace before, but she certainly learned what it looked like when Gar did it.

"Look, I'm sorry Rae…but we need to talk before we start over. I can't just jump into something that'll hurt you in more ways than I can count." He said carefully.

"Start over?" She asked, now even more confused. "We stopped?"

"Well…yeah." Sadness permeated his bear face now. "You left me, remember? That day in the Watchtower? I mean, I know we made up the other day…but we never actually said we were back together. So…I wanna do things the right way this time. I want to take you out on dates, earn my first kiss, and just enjoy everything we have. Going back to how we were would be nice, but…we can't. That was all an accident, really, just a really good one. But anything we have from here on out just wouldn't be the same. Not after…losing the baby."

She stared at him in silence for what felt like forever. He shifted back and forth on his feet, trying so hard to not let his stomach grumble.

"Where do you want to go?" She said softly, finally.

"Anywhere that has food. I'm _starving._ "

She gave him a little smile. "Aren't you always hungry?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but being a bear is a real smack to the metabolism."

"Go get the holorings and I'll get dressed." Raven said as her small smile grew into a grin. Smiling, the polar bear-boy ran off down the hallway.

Raven had never seen a polar bear jump up and click its heel before, but she had to admit it _was_ pretty funny.

* * *

"Gar, while I love you and all that, I have to tell you that _that_ was gross." Raven shook her head.

The changeling frowned. "Aw, come on Rae. I told you I was hungry!"

"Three whole pizzas-kinda hungry?" Raven said before taking a sip of her Sprite. She glanced down at the half eaten piece of cheese pizza on her plate before looking at the empty boxes before them. Granted, they were just cheap Little Caesars Hot and Ready pizzas, but still…

"Well, a bear's metabolism is pretty un-bear-able when on an empty stomach. Had to fill it before I went bear-zerk, ya know." Garfield smiled cheekily. Raven groaned and dropped her head into her hand.

"Gar…please…stop…"

"What? Come on Rae, I'm bear-ly getting started!" He chuckled. "It's not like it's a grizzly situation, which I certain we'd be koala-fied to handle. Anyways, I think we should get some straw-bear-ys for dessert."

"Koala's aren't related to bears, you said so yourself." Raven interrupted before he could think of more jokes. The changeling frowned for a minute in thought before he smiled again.

"Don't worry babe, no need for panda-monium. I got this like putty in my paws." He snickered.

"I'll give you the rest of my pizza if you stop the terrible jokes."

"Deal!" Garfield scooped up her slice and wolfed it down.

Feeling both exasperated and amused, Raven watched her love eat. His messy green hair was covered by the hologram from the ring, giving him dirty blonde locks. His skin, instead of its pleasant emerald, was slightly tanned, but his eyes remained that brilliant shade of jade. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt and white converse sneakers. If she didn't know it was him she would have never been able to guess. Well, not until he smiled at her in that boyish and charming way.

He certainly was attractive, but she honestly preferred him green. It made him unique, which he was.

On the other side of the table, Garfield was lost in his own thoughts as well. Raven's holoring gave her long and shiny black hair and a deep, oceanic blue eye color. Her tan was a little darker than his as well. Combined with her dark green shirt (complete with Celtic pattern lace trim), black denim jeans, and black converse sneakers, and she was super-hot in his opinion.

Still, he preferred her without the hologram.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" She asked quietly. The disguised changeling took a swig of his Mountain Dew before speaking.

"Well…I wanna know where we're going."

"You're the one who brought us here, Gar, so you tell me."

He shook his head. "No, not like that. I mean like…where are _we_ going?"

Raven's mouth made a little 'o'. "Oh. Well…I'm not sure. Where do you want to go?"

Garfield shook his head once more. "I'm not sure Rae. I can't go back to being a superhero, that's for sure."

Raven reached out, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it reassuringly. "I understand Gar."

He nodded, though his eyes were planted on his hands. They looked red to him, even with the hologram in place. He muttered to himself. "Too much, Rae, too much."

Her hand still clasping his, the empath moved over a seat and leaned against him. "It's okay. It'll fade with time."

"I hope so." He muttered once more before kissing her head.

"So what did you have in mind?" Raven asked after kissing his cheek.

Gar took a deep breath to steel himself for what he was about to say. "I'm leaving, Raven."

Shock etched itself into the empaths features, which gave way to panic within two heart beats. "Leaving?! Where are you going? You're leaving me? Why?!"

Around them, concrete and glass cracked, causing many civilians to jump in fright. Gar pulled his hand from hers and held them both up defensively. "Woah, hold on babe! Let me rephrase that real quick. I'm leaving the Titans, officially, and I'm going to live in a small house outside of Jump City."

Raven calmed down immediately and scowled at him. "Don't scare me like that!"

"I'm sorry Rae, honest."

Raven covered her face and sighed in irritation. "It's fine. Now tell me what you're going to do living there."

"Well…I want to get and complete my education." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. Raven's disbelieving face prompted him to continue. "What's that look for? If I can't be a superhero then I gotta be able to do _something_ , right?"

Raven nodded. "I see your point, I just couldn't believe you'd think like that."

The changeling shrugged. "It was Mento that got me thinking like that. We had a _long_ talk about what I'm going to do with my life now."

"And what's that?"

He grimaced. "Not sure yet. I can't decide. I mean, I love video games, but I can't see myself being a professional gamer. There's nothing wrong with it, but…I just can't feel that being right for me."

They were silent for a time. Garfield was contemplating telling Raven that he wanted her to go with him when she spoke up.

"What about cooking? You're good at it, you could be a chef."

He looked at her in surprise before turning thoughtful. He _did_ like to cook, especially for her. There was good money in too.

"That's a pretty good idea Rae." He said with a smile a moment later. She gave him a little smile that faded rather quickly. His own faded in concern. "What's wrong?"

"What about us?" She asked softly, almost sadly. Garfield's next words were out of his mouth before he could think of them.

"Come with me."

She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Look, after everything we've been through, everything _you've_ been through, I really don't know what to say or how to act around you any more. You've changed and so have I. We're both…I dunno, tired? You can't tell me you aren't, you rest and sleep more than I used to. But I know it's not a physical thing for me, so it can't be for you either."

"I know you have, Gar. You haven't said dude even once today." Raven halfheartedly chuckled. "As for myself…yes, I am aware of these changes."

She was laughing (kind of) so that was a good sign to Gar. He pressed on. "Look, Rae, Mento's buying the house and land for me to use and getting me a tutor for my high school stuff. But…I want you there too. I don't know if I could do any of it without your support. I love you more than anything, Raven, and I need you in this next step in my life."

"Gar…what on Earth made you think I wouldn't go with you?" She asked, half glaring at him.

He grimaced. "After the other night, Mento said it was possible that you would need some space to…cope."

Raven was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. "I only want so much space, Gar. And even then I want to be around you."

A smile like she hadn't seen in a long time lit up his face as he beamed at her. "Really? Awesome! I was scared you wanted to keep me at arms length after the other night."

Raven shook her head with a wry grin. "You're lucky I let you out of my sight you troublemaking-."

 _HOLD THE LINE!_

 _LOVE ISN'T ALWAYS ON TIME!_

 _WOOOOWOOOOWOOOOAAAHHH!_

Both teens jerked their heads in surprise at the overly loud music playing. The other people (well, those that had remained after that bizarre occurrence a few minutes before) around them also did this. Heads turned this way and that until someone shouted "There!"

Standing right outside the doorway to the food court of the mall was none other than Control Freak. He was singing along at the top of his lungs to the music as he held a boombox above his head.

"EXCUSE ME SIR! A BOOMBOX IS NOT A TOY!" Garfield shouted.

Eugene gave him a thumbs up before dashing off, mall security right on his tail. The sound of the music echoed loudly through the mall as they chased him all over.

"Well…that was random." Raven snorted in mild annoyance.

Gar chuckled. "I saw him earlier when we first got here but all he did was wave at me."

"How did he know it was you?"

"Not sure, but he said something about needing to read a script last time we talked." He shrugged. "Whatever that means."

"Hmm…" Raven murmured. Gar glanced at her, a twinkle in his eye.

"Forget him. How about that walk?" He asked. Raven gave him a little smile and nodded. Hand in hand, they left the table and threw away their garbage. The people around them didn't bat an eyelash at the seemingly-ordinary-couple.

They wandered the mall for some time, chatting about this and that. Raven was giving thought to getting an education now that Gar was. As to what she could do, her love suggested being a librarian. It wasn't a bad idea, she did love books and peace and quiet.

Quiet was something the mall _wasn't_ today. They passed Control Freak thirty minutes in and his boombox was now blasting the theme song to COPS. Hearing _BAD BOYS! WHATCHA GON' WHATCHA GON' WHATCHA GONNA DO?!_ Echo through the build was almost too much for Garfield to handle, seeing as the JCPD had shown up and joined the chase. He was cracking up within seconds.

" _What is he even doing?!"_ Raven shouted over the music as they left Sears.

" _Dunno, but I'm gonna bet that he lost a bet!"_ Garfield shouted back.

" _Well I bet that he's just an idiot!"_

" _Oh, so_ _we're_ _betting now?"_ Gar laughed. _"What do I get if I win?"_

" _I don't care, anything?"_ Raven shouted as she contemplated destroying the musical device that was starting to fade into the distance.

"Hmmm…" The changeling said thoughtfully. "Oh, I know! I got a _job_ you can do."

Raven raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously? _That's_ the first thing that came to mind?"

Garfield chuckled. "It was a joke, Rae."

"I'm sure it was…"

The disguised boy looked toward his love as she trailed off. He followed her gaze to find that they had inadvertently stopped in front of a particular store.

Baby Mart.

They both stood staring at it for about five minutes before Raven spoke softly. "I want to go in."

Garfield hesitated. "Are…are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

They walked in together in silence. Things in the store hadn't really changed, other than a display for new cribs. They weren't as nice looking as the one that used to be in the nursery, but they were still nice.

"Why hello there! Welcome to Baby Mart, home of all your infant and toddler needs…" The woman trailed off as she realized that she was addressing two teens.

"Hi." Beast Boy smiled, a sense of déjà vu overcoming him.

"Hello." Raven said quietly, feeling just like her love.

"Can I…help you?" The woman, who was none other than Anne, stared at them confusedly. Raven could tell the woman recognized them but couldn't remember where from.

"No ma'am, we're just looking this time." Raven said gently.

Anne's brow scrunched in thought. "Well…alright. If you need something don't hesitate to ask."

The two teen nodded and wandered off. They looked at the cribs, the diapers, the bottles, the toys, and various foodstuffs. Neither said much because they didn't have to. They both knew how the other was feeling, so no words were needed. Of course, they could feel Anne's gaze from across the room the whole time.

By the time they reached the clothes, Raven was fighting tears. Gar had her hand in his and squeezed it. She knew if she shed one tear then the rest would follow. Gar would be right behind her as well. If they both broke down in the store things would get ugly quickly.

But Raven couldn't help it. That empty feeling just wouldn't go away. It felt like it was eating her alive at times.

"I think this one was my favorite when you picked it out." Gar said suddenly, running his hand across a green onesie with dark green pawprints on it. Raven gave the item a teary-eyed smile.

"I was going to see if they had something like that in young adult sizes, you know. We could have all matched."

Gar gave her a soft smile. "That would have been beyond awesome Rae."

The empath nodded and wiped her eyes. But before she could suggest leaving, a voice spoke up behind them.

"It's you, isn't it? It _really_ is you."

The two teens turned and found Anne standing there, a concerned look on her face. Garfield glanced at Raven, who shrugged. He then nodded at the older woman. "Sure is. How'd you guess?"

"Nobody _ever_ bats an eyelash at those pawprints, but you two _bought_ one. On top of that, your faces didn't change with whatever you did to look different." Anne said quietly as to not draw other people's attention.

"You're a sharp woman, Miss Anne." Raven gave her a small, humorless smile.

"I have four grandkids, I had to learn to pay attention real well." Anne gave them a small grin, which faded as she spoke next. "So…what about…?"

Both teens shook their head. The older woman grimaced and, to their surprise, wrapped her arms around them.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered to them. "Neither of you deserved to go through that."

Both mumbled a thank you and she released them. Sniffling, she wiped an eye. "I know you're both hurting, but please remember that time heals all wounds."

"I've heard that a lot lately." Raven sighed. "I'm hoping for sooner rather than later."

Anne reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know its hard but-"

 _IT'S TIMES LIKE THESE YOU LEARN TO LIVE AGAIN_

 _IT'S TIMES LIKE THESE YOU GIVE AND GIVE AGAIN_

 _IT'S TIMES LIKE THESE YOU LEARN TO LOVE AGAIN_

 _IT'S TIMES LIKE THESE TIME AND TIME AGAIN_

As one, everyone jerked their heads towards the entrance of the store where Control Freak was, _once again_ , standing and blasting his boombox.

Raven's sadness evaporated as agitation took its place. Snarling, she snapped a hand out encased in her dark magic. The boombox became enshrouded in shadows before crumpling in upon itself. Within a heartbeat it was crushed to the size of marble. Control Freak let out a shriek of fright and took off running, least he become the next marble.

"Well, _that_ ruined the mood." The empath huffed. Gar chuckled and kissed her head as the empath continued to grumble. "Seriously, doesn't he know when to quit?"

The changeling chuckled. "Nope. Once a blockhead, always a blockhead."

Raven rolled her eyes but turned to address Anne once more. "Thank you for your words Miss Anne. We should get going though, being around so many people is tiresome for me."

Anne nodded and gave her a gentle smile. "Of course. Be safe and remember to come back when you decide to try again."

Raven and Garfield nodded at her and quietly left. This time though, there were no whispers of people who had noticed them. There was no stopping at the foodcourt for samples. There were no ambushes by supervillains in some screwed up plot to kill them all.

There was just a quiet walk and a quiet wait to get a taxi, followed by a quiet trip to the block next to the Doom Patrol headquarters.

Everyone was gathered in the main room today, having decided to take the day off from fixing Titans Tower. What Raven and Beast Boy didn't know is that everyone had been monitoring them ever since they left earlier. Their friends/family didn't eavesdrop per say, but they were watched, as was all of the mall. The _second_ a villain showed up he would have received the mother of all butt kickings from the other Titans and the Doom Patrol.

But seeing as nothing had happened, both teams had been able to relax a bit.

Robin and Starfire where sitting on the couch arm in arm, with Cyborg sitting off to the side watching television. Mento was at the main computer doing a video sweep of the city, Elastigirl was making a tuna sandwich. Negativeman and Robotman were sitting nearby, playing chess.

"Welcome back." Cy called out as his disguised friends entered and took off their holorings. "Did you kids have fun this time?"

"It was a blast until Control Freak showed up and started being obnoxious." Raven grumbled.

"Well, that's what he does, isn't it? Annoy the crap outta everyone." Robin chuckled as he turned to face them.

"I suppose that's true." The empath replied before glancing at her love. Her eyes asked him a question and he nodded. Raven turned back to her team leader and looked him in the eye. "We need to talk. All of us."

The boy wonder glanced at his cybernetic friend, who sighed and punched in Jinx and Kid Flashes communicator.

"Hey Jinx, KF come to the-YE GODS MAN, PUT SOME PANTS ON!" Cyborg shouted as he wrenched his head away from his arm panel and heaved.

" _It's not my fault you called right before I was gonna shower."_ Wally's chuckle echoed out.

"Whatever man, just put that on hold for a bit, BB and Rae wanna talk to everyone." Cy growled.

" _Growling at Wally, Tinman? How kinky."_ Jinx giggled.

Cyborg started making gagging noises, which only made the witch laugh louder. Within a minute both speedster and said witch were standing before them, clad in pajamas. Raven and Beast Boy sat down on the only loveseat, leaving room for their friends on the couch. The Doom Patrol chose to stand behind the couch. Robin was giving them a funny look. Gar stared at him for a moment before speaking carefully.

"You already know, don't ya?"

Robin frowned. "I have a suspicion, yeah, but nothing solid."

"About what, boyfriend Robin?" Starfire asked, nudging his arm. He shook his head and continued to stare at his friends.

The changeling and empath exchanged glances before she motioned towards their friends. He sighed deeply before speaking.

"We're leaving the Titans. For real."

Both teen had expected all hell to break loose, so they were completely surprised when nobody got upset.

"Maaan, that sucks big time." Cyborg sighed.

"That it does, Cy." Robin nodded and lowered his eyes.

Jinx shook her head. "I'm not surprised the least bit."

Kid Flash shrugged. "Well, I can't blame them, really."

"But…" Star frowned. "Where will you go? What will you do with your time?"

"Mento's getting us a little place outside of Jump, so we won't be far." Raven said gently.

Said older hero raised an eyebrow at her. "I honestly didn't think you'd go with him."

Raven shook her head. "I _do_ need more time to deal with all of this, but I'm so used to having him around that I'll probably be a wreck without him here. Azar only knows how sooner I could have healed if I hadn't run away the first time."

Mento nodded, though Rita spoke up. "That's fine…but please…wait a few years before having another 'accident', please."

Both teens gave each other a sheepish grin before nodding. Raven spoke for them. "Good idea."

"Star's got a good point, what're you two gonna do?" Robotman asked.

"I'm gonna get an education and then go to college to be chef in a few years." Garfield said with a smile.

Cyborg gave him a big smile. "You mean I ain't gotta deal with your scrawny, meat-hating butt whining about my delicious meat every time?"

The changeling gave him a fangy grin. "Nope, but _you_ gotta eat the vegetarian meals I make when you come over."

Cyborg scowled and started to say something about not being a rabbit when Robin interrupted him.

"What about you Raven? What are you going to do?" He asked pointedly. It was pretty common knowledge that she wasn't particularly a people person.

"I will also get an education. As for what I do with it…I was thinking a librarian or a bookstore clerk." She said thoughtfully. "Something nice and quiet, relatively speaking."

"Most glorious!" Starfire clapped her hands. Jinx quirked at eyebrow at the two on the loveseat.

"That's an awful lot of _free time_ you two are gonna end up with." She said with a tad of suspicion in her voice.

"What happens, happens, Jinx." Raven said firmly. "Nothing like that is planned even remotely and I honestly don't think I'll be ready for anything of that nature for a while."

Gar scowled at the pink haired girl. "Seriously Jinx, we've got all the time in the world. There are plenty of things to do. Think of all the video games I'll get to play and all the books Rae will get to catch up on!"

The conversation devolved into an argument rather quickly, seeing as Jinx was concerned about them living there unsupervised (a surprising thing coming from her) while Gar was adamant that things would be fine. Mento also expressed his concerns about them living together, but Robotman was quick to jump to the changeling's defense.

But all of that was lost upon Raven, who was lost in thought concerning something Garfield had said.

 _We've got all the time in the world._

 _We've got all the time in the world._

 _All the time in the world._

 _Time in the world._

 _Time._

"That's it!" Raven said breathlessly.

Several heads turned to her, confusion written on their faces.

The excitement bubbling up inside her, Raven jumped up from her seat and started pacing the floor. "That's it! I should have done that from the beginning instead of getting upset like that, I know it's something that I can do, I've done it before!"

"Uhhh…Rae?" Garfield said carefully. "What are you talking about?"

"Time!" Raven practically shouted at him. "I can take us back in time and stop the attack! I can stop us from losing the baby!"

For a full ten heartbeats, no one spoke. Then Jinx opened her mouth. "No."

Raven gaped at her. "What?! Why the hell not?!"

The witch shook her head. "Time magic is forbidden, Raven. You know that."

"The hell it is!" Raven spat. "I've used it to bring Cyborg back from the past! Why the hell can't I use it to save my baby?!"

"Cy didn't belong in the past, so of course _he_ wouldn't care! You were fixing a person displaced in time!" Jinx spat back.

Raven's eyebrow rose. "He? He who?"

"You damn well know who I'm talking about, Raven. _Him._ " She practically whispered that word.

"No, I don't know. Now tell me before I toss you through a portal." Raven snapped. "Who the hell is _he_ and what the hell does he have to do with me time traveling?"

Jinx bit her lips and uttered a quick prayer that the subject of their conversation wasn't listen. Then she took a deep breath and spoke low and quiet. "TheSpectre _._ "

" _The Specter_?" Raven said incredulously. "He's nothing more than a myth! There's nothing to be afraid of."

"He's real, damnit! I know he is!"

" **And just when did the big bad witch get scared of the boogeyman?"** The demoness growled as her eyes split into four. The air around her crackled with dark magic.

"The witch isn't an idiot!"

Before Raven could reply, Gar jumped in between them. "Woah woah woah! Settle down, girls!"

Raven glared daggers at her friend for a moment before turning away. Jinx sighed in relief.

"Now, who is the Spectre? I've never heard of him." Gar asked, seeing as that was the question on everyone else's mind.

"The Spectre is, essentially, the right hand of God or, more specifically, the _wrath_ of God." Jinx shuddered. "In his eyes, all things that follow the laws of the physical universe follow God's law. Anything that _breaks_ those laws goes against God's will to him, and he automatically classifies it as evil. _Magic_ does not follow the physical laws of the universe, so…"

"I don't like where this conversation is going." Cyborg muttered. Several heads bobbed in consent.

"Look, the fact is that he's wiped out whole schools of magic, entire magical dimensions, and all manner of magical constructs. He _hates_ magic, plain and simple. And messing with time is a taboo regardless of _how_ you do it." Jinx finished her explanation by pointedly staring at Raven, who was glaring at her.

"What Jinx _fails_ to mention is that nobody has seen the Spectre in a millennia!" The empath shouted. "And because of that lack of sightings, there's no _real_ proof that he exists! _As such, I will not be scared by some magical boogeyman that isn't real!"_

The room was quiet for a long moment. Mento was telepathically conversing with his teammates whilst the Titans simply sat with their own thoughts. Eventually, Beast Boy looked to Robin, who nodded. Starfire and Cyborg nodded too, as did Kid Flash. The changeling glanced at the witch, who rolled her eyes with a snort. Finally he turned to Raven, who was still four eyed and fuming.

"Rae." He said gently. She looked to him and her anger faded a decent bit. She could feel his own anger bubbling inside him, but it wasn't surfacing. He took her by the hand and pulled her close. "Do you have the strength to do it or do you want to wait a few days?"

All of Raven's eyes closed and she took a deep breath. As she released it slowly, all of the color in her clothes faded, leaving her wearing nothing but white. Her eyes glowed white as she opened them and spoke in an almost otherworldly voice. "Today. Give me an hour to do the calculations and an ample magical focal point."

* * *

An anxious hour passed. The Titans, minus Raven, all sat in the common room making battle plans. Since they knew who would be attacking whom, they needed to properly counter this time.

It was decided that they would each help their past selves, seeing as Starfire was the only one who could properly fight with Atomic Skull. The alien princess had a particularly violent look in her eyes as she expressed an interest in battling the radioactive man again. Robin suppressed a shudder, silently reminding himself that her naïve and sweet side was only _half_ of who she was.

The other half was a battle hardened and ruthless warrior of Tamaran.

The Doom Patrol would run around and fight with the others that wouldn't be dealt with right off the bat. Slade/Mad Mod/Punk Rocket would be dealt with by Mento and Elastigirl while the Joker, his goons, Scarecrow, and Doctor Light would get to deal with Robotman and Negativeman (who could fight with fear of being effected by poison gas/gunfire/light attacks). It was also decided that the past Beast Boy would assist the Robins while the present one would assist his parents. Both Raven's would be ordered to retreat to the tower and to activate its defenses. Both Jinx's and Kid Flashes would deal with Brother Blood's robots. It didn't need to be said that Seemore would come out of this alive too, as would Felix.

When Raven finally returned, she found all of her friends, no, her _family_ , ready for war. Their faces were determined and ready. She couldn't help but to smile.

"Thank you." She said softly before she used her magic to clear the floor of furniture. When it was all out of the way, she procured several pieces of chalk and used her magic to begin to etch a fairly large circle on the ground. Within moments she began to add more lines inside it, more circles, runes of arcane power that seemed to glow with a life of their own, and then finally, a strangely familiar white book in the center.

"Uhhhh…Rae?" Gar called out. "Is that what I think it is?"

The empath turned to him, a sadistic grin reflecting her four demonic eyes. "Why yes, yes it is. It's the perfect catalyst for this spell."

Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all exchanged worried glances as she turned back to her drawing. Jinx poked the changeling in the arm.

"What was that all about?" She asked in a whisper.

"Don't ask, don't tell." He muttered.

 _That_ only worried her more.

"Are you all ready? From what I understand, time travel is very disorienting." Raven called out. When they all acknowledged their readiness, she started pointing to various smaller circles in the larger circle. "Each of you take up a position in one of those and DO NOT step out until we arrive."

They filed into their positions and obediently waited. Raven walked around, careful to not disturb her own diagram, and made a few adjustments here and there. When she was satisfied, she returned to the center and peered down at the book. A voice echoed from it.

 _Raven? I was surprised you had this recovered after our last 'meeting', let alone had it recovered after the tower was destroyed. You said you wanted my HELP? That's quite amusing considering that I tried to kill you. It must be quite the situation then. Say…is this a magic circle? Is this what you wanted help with? It looks fairly complex…Hmm, I know those runes…wait…this is…oh no…you wouldn't!_

Raven merely smiled at the book before she began chanting. The book, which had been pleading for mercy, began screeching before it simply _dissipated_. The others stared at Raven in shock as a there was a ripping sound. Before their very eyes, the very fabric of reality tore open in front of the empath and widened to encompass the whole of their circle. Raven opened her mouth to tell the others to brace themselves when the tear simply vanished right in front of her. Her eyes went wide with confusion, but widened even more when a deep and dark voice spoke up from behind her.

" **And just** _ **who**_ **gave you permission to mess with the streams of time?"**

The presence behind Raven seemed to amplify, driving everyone to their knees. She looked to her love, fear evident as she spoke in a really small voice. "Gar? W-who's behind me?"

The presence loomed over her and after a moment, she heard the voice once again, only next to her ear this time.

" **The boogeyman."**


	25. WellThat Just Happened

_**Honestly, I don't know what to say this time. We've been on a long and bumpy road with this story. It's had it's up and its WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY downs. It's been painful to write and a dear to read. It's both heart warming and heartbreaking to write/read this. We'll go ahead and do reviews now.**_

 _ **Allen Blaster- This is how we do it. Foamy-style.**_

 _ **Rcktkid- Insanity loading in 3...2...1...**_

 _ **Bearhow- I think this is what you're looking for.**_

 _ **liger09- Thank you, it was another reader that gave me the idea for that and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use it.**_

 _ **KangBoRam- ikr? lol**_

 _ **Adrinsane- I did a lot of research on the Spectre and tweaked him for my purposes.**_

 _ **Guest- oh, the Spectre is quite real, trust me. As for the bond, I never forgot about it, but I intentionally had it forgotten about by the two of them (I don't particularly care for OP characters other than the Spectre and the Beyonder).**_

 _ **RPGPersona- You know, you've been with me since chapter 1 of this roller coaster of a story. Thank you, my friend. I hope the rest of my stories are good enough for your viewing :)**_

 _ **Creepingwillow9- I got a plot twist in this chapter that will blow your mind. ;P**_

 _ **Aqua Rules- It only goes downhill from here lol**_

 _ **Bluedog197- *stalk stalk stalk* jk! lol. I see you get what I was going for with the time travel (flashpoint). I'm certain you'll enjoy this chapter too!**_

 _ **LostDemonessRaven- Yall gonna make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here! xD**_

 _ **Stavie333- Sounds like you'll enjoy this chapter too...*snickers***_

 _ **Taygon55- I literally have no idea what you were describing and YouTube gave me no answers lol. As for the 'lets retire' schtick, I never actually said they'd permanently retire, now did i? That aside, BB's angle was 'not worthy because he's killed people'. Also, fuck that Cosmic Treadmill. that thing was stupid. and no, there is no Bart (if you're referring to Impulse, that is)**_

 _ **Guest-Thank you! I hope you enjoy this one too.**_

 _ **SueySide- idk about GOD (but you can feed my vanity as much as you wish), but I like to think I have a little talent at writing. Also, heart attacks are bad, mkay?**_

 _ **Rosiejc- 'regular'...right *guilty cough***_

 _ **Bunnyfire- thank you, I like to think this story is pretty decent. :)**_

 _ **Lord Sicarius- What, like this?**_

* * *

To say that fear permeated every fiber of her being was an understatement. Every _iota_ of her existence trembled in absolute _terror_. The Spectre was supposed to be a myth, a proverbial boogeyman used to scare young magic users into staying away from forbidden magic such as time travel, life manipulation, and cosmic restructuring. He hadn't been seen in a full millennia, not since he wiped out the Al Bhed civilization and their home dimension for trying to turn their king into a god. There had only been one survivor in that instance, a man named Cid, who was simply visiting Al Bhed to learn their engineering.

And yet here the Spectre was, in this very room with them.

Raven turned her head slowly, dreading what she would find but needing to see for herself the being was a step below the creator of the universe. What she found was not what she expected, but terrifying nonetheless.

He was tall, impossibly so, with an immensely muscular bare chest and arms. A billowing forest green cloak, which matched the pants he wore, hung from his neck and his silvery-grey skin seemed to radiate his cosmic power. Beneath the hood of his cloak she found a pair of malevolent red eyes and a disgusted sneer upon his handsome yet angry face. She noted that he had a little bit of an underbite, which gave her a small bit of comfort to know that God's right hand was not perfect.

This comfort disappeared when a hand, wearing a dark green glove with a black band across the back, reached out and snatched her off the ground. She was brought up to eye level and gazed into his eyes.

Blood red eyes that glittered with the millions of souls this entity had taken over the span of its existence.

" **That was not a rhetorical question, child."** The being growled, his otherworldly voice shaking her to the very core of her being.

Fearing for her loved ones lives, Raven looked around only to find that she was not in the Doom Patrol's headquarters anymore. She was in a void in space, surrounded by thousands of stars.

Had the situation not been so dire, it would have been beautiful.

"N-no one." The empath stammered, hoping, _praying_ , that only she would be punished.

" **Then for what purpose do you meddle with time? Your world's heroes know better than that.** _ **Especially**_ **the one they call the Flash."** He snarled at her.

Raven shook her head quickly. "I don't know what they did-"

" **Blatant ignorance is no excuse!"**

"I just wanted my baby back!" Raven shouted at the man-god-thing that held her captive.

The Spectre paused, staring at her thoughtfully. **"Your child?"**

The empath shook her head vigorously. "Yes! I was five months pregnant when a group of villains attacked my boyfriend, my friends, and myself. I lost my baby and a friend in the attack."

" **And these…villains?"**

Raven paused in thought. "Um…I think three of them lived?"

" **Then it sounds like you have achieved justice and revenge for your…child."** The Spectre stated. **"Thus giving you no reason to interfere with time."**

"What good does justice and revenge do if I can't have my baby?" Raven asked, tears forming in her eyes. "How is that supposed to fill the hole in my heart where my child was? How is that supposed to stop my nightmares, my ghost pains, and my broken heart?"

" **You are a mortal. Your pain will fade with time. Move on with your finite life and start anew."**

Even though she was crying, Raven felt herself getting angry. "It was stupid of me to ask you that. What could someone like you know of pain? Of suffering? Of misery? You, who didn't even attempt to stop Trigon from ascending."

" **I was not permitted to interference with that."** The silvery man said softly, surprising the girl once more. **"Many lives were lost because of that, but many more lived."**

"You could have stopped him and saved _all_ of those lost lives."

" **I am aware of this,** _ **spawn of Trigon**_ **."** Spectresnarled without warning. **"What** _ **you**_ **do not understand is that** _ **balance**_ **between good and evil must maintained in the multiverse! And part of that balance is your sire! His very existence is an inherent part of existence as a** _ **whole**_ **. You defeated his attempt to rise above his place in the order of things** _ **because you were supposed to do so**_ **. That was the very purpose of** _ **your**_ **existence. What you did after was of no concern of mine."**

"Then why do you stop me from saving my child!" Raven cried out.

" **Because to do so disrupts the balance!"** The Spectre shouted at her as he shook her. **"If you do not understand-"**

"The only thing _I_ understand is that if you keep shaking Rae like that that I'm gonna stick my foot up yer ass." An angry voice called out. Both Raven and the Spectre turned to find a very irate changeling glaring daggers at the silver man.

" **I was wondering when you'd speak up."** Spectre snorted.

"Gar?!" Raven gaped. "What you doing here?!"

The changeling jerked his thumb towards her captor. "I hitched a ride on Ghost Rider's cloak just before he poofed."

" **I have never been in the presence of the literal embodiment of the Red before, so I allowed you to follow out of curiosity."** Spectre gave them a little shrug. Both teens stared at him in confusion, so he shook his head. **"Never you mind. Now-"**

"Whaddaya want?" Gar interrupted him again.

"Want?" Raven echoed, looking at the man-god-thing that was holding her. He was staring at her love with a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

" **How did you know I wanted something?"** He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Garfield snorted. "Gee, for someone as close to God as you are, you don't know much. This is just like the DLC to Dungeonlord 3: King of the Dead. Your character runs into Death, who's furious with you for cheating him out of your soul, so he forces you to do his dirty work to pay off your debt. The more times you die in the main game the more you have to pay him back. In this case, _you_ , Ghost Rider, are Death and we're the players. You want us to do something for you in exchange for you not killing us."

Raven stared at Gar for a good few minutes before glancing at the Spectre, who was staring at him in complete disbelief. Her eyes widened when she realized Gar was _absolutely right_. There was no way in hell that-

" **I don't know why I'm so surprised."** The entity muttered. **"You never change."**

Both teens' faces screwed up in confusion (again) as they spoke in unison. "Huh?"

" **Never you mind."** The man growled before setting Raven down. Well, _down_ is a subject to be debated, seeing as she was standing on a solid mass of _nothing_ below her feet. If she wasn't used to flying and Nevermore's landscape, she might have panicked.

"So, whaddaya want?" Gar asked again.

" **The blood of Trigon."**

Raven stared at the man whilst Gar's face scrunched into confusion once more. "Huh?"

" **I want** _ **the blood of Trigon**_ **."** The Spectre repeated.

"Dude, you just said you weren't allowed to mess with him, so how the heck can we give _you_ his blood?" the changeling frowned.

" **It's quite simple, really.** _ **She's**_ **already figured it out."** The silver man motioned to Raven. The changeling looked at her, but she was staring hard at the entity before them.

"How do you expect me to bring them to you?" She asked with a scowl. "They're scattered across the cosmos. I'd die of old age before I found them all."

" **Perform a summoning. And yes, I can provide the power, seeing as I'm just** _ **assisting**_ **a sorceress."** The Spectre smiled darkly at this last part. He enjoyed finding loopholes in his orders.

"Them? Who is them?" Gar asked put his hand on his love's shoulder. "Come on Rae, tell me."

"He wants my siblings, Trigon's _other_ children." Raven frowned. "All six hundred and sixty six of them. Collectively we're referred to as the Blood of Trigon."

" **Six hundred sixty three, thanks to…your lover."** The Spectre corrected her.

"Woah woah woah." Garfield held up his hands and approached the silver man. "Let me get this straight. It's _okay_ for Rae give you six hundred demons in exchange for not killing us but it's _not okay_ for us to go back in time and save our baby? How the heck is there any balance in that?!"

" **The demon's existence became a moot point after Trigon's fall. They served their purpose and now they have none. Removing them works in my favor and ensures that Trigon's revival is delayed for some time."** The Spectre said this in such a casual manner that the teens shuddered. He had spoken so offhandedly about it that it was almost like he was talking about gardening, pulling some weeds to save the roses.

Garfield scowled. "Nice way of dancing around the answer, dude."

"Gar, _please_ stop arguing with the demigod." Raven groaned and put a hand to her head.

"Nuh uh, no way Rae, something's really fishy about-"

" **I will trade you this in exchange for summoning the demons."** The Spectre interrupted him, holding forth an upturned hand. In his gloved palm was a small glowing light.

"And that would be…?" Raven asked.

" _ **That**_ **would be a soul."**

Gar scoffed. "That tiny thing is a soul? What's it go to dude? A ba…"

The changelings' mouth ran dry as Raven's face filled with horror as a realization struck them like a freight train.

Right there in front of them, _within arm's reach_ , was the soul of their child.

"Where's the body?" She whispered as she inched closer.

The green cloaked man pulled his hand away and shut it, effectively cutting off their view. **"Getting the soul was the hard part. Recreating the body is trivial in comparison."**

"Then what do you need me to do?" Raven said before he finished speaking. Spectre smiled and it sent shivers down their spines.

" **A few drops of blood and the beginning of a summons. I will guide you from there."**

Garfield wasn't entirely sure just how long he sat on the floor/not floor of wherever the heck they were. Raven been standing way off to side chanting something for a good while with the Spectre silently watching. When the man-god-thing reached out and placed his hand on Raven's head, the changeling bristled. Something about this Spectre dude was giving him the heeby jeebies and he just didn't like it. When nothing happened, Gar went back to tracing the patterns on the sole of his boot.

Of course, since he wasn't paying much attention he didn't notice the area getting darker. It wasn't until there was a loud crack, like glass exploding, did he look up from inspecting his shoe.

The immediate area around them looked like fractured glass, the cracks spreading out farther and farther as the seconds passed. Within two minutes it encompassed an area the size of a football stadium. A series of cracks flowed around the changeling as well, like he was a rock in a stream. It was more than a little disturbing.

"Uhhh….Rae?" He called out. "This a bit above our usual level of crazy, dontcha think?"

Even though he couldn't see her through this distortion in reality, their bond told him that she wholeheartedly agreed.

Moments later, the world shattered.

Even though there wasn't actually any glass, the sound of it was realistic enough to make Beast Boy cover his head. When it ceased, he lifted his arms and found himself surrounded by hundreds of demons. They were all shapes and sizes, some no taller than him and others the size of skyscrapers. Their skins were all sorts of colors as well. Many had four eyes, but there were more than a few with just two. He noted that jutting fangs and pointed ears weren't uncommon. This led him to the brilliant idea of pretending to be one of them, which turned out to be a terribly smart idea when they all got very angry seconds later.

 _I'm sooooo glad this bond thing makes me smarter than the average bear._ He chuckled as he hopped up and put on a fake scowl. The demons around him didn't spare him a second glance.

"Where the hell are we?" One called out, a car sized brute with four eyes, dark blue skin, and six arms.

"Fuck if I know, never seen this place." Responded another, whom was taller than a semi trailer, spindly limbed with two eyes and an ant-like face.

"Wherever we are, we were summoned here." Something rumbled above them. The changeling and many demons craned their necks upwards to view a demon as large as Trigon himself, though with skin so black it seemed to absorb light, four glowing yellow eyes, and a pair of massive lower canine teeth that jutted out like tusks.

"That would be correct, First Born of Trigon, Disonisus the Light Eater." A female voice called out. Disonisus and every other demon present turned to peer at Raven, who had been standing there quietly. The Spectre stood at her side, hidden in his cloak and as silent as death.

The great black skinned demon rose an eyebrow. "Last born? For what purpose do you summon me, Pride?"

Raven's eyes split into four as her demon half spoke up. **"I summoned everyone to discuss the distribution of father's power."**

"Bullshit!" A voice snarled. Heads turned to find a man wearing nothing but a hateful look on his face and soap in his hair glaring at Raven. "When we went to get your help, you sicced that crazy fuckin guard dog on us! He killed Gluttony, Wrath, and Greed!"

"Be quiet and let our dear sister speak, Envy." Disonisus rumbled. "I'm sure she has something in mind. Father did not appoint her as Pride for nothing."

Pride looked up at the older demon. He was very old and, from what she understood, a very dangerous tactician as well as an excellent fighter. The thought of crushing such a foe made the half demon smile.

" **You're quite right, eldest brother."** She nodded at him before smiling wickely. **"But the thing is…** _ **none**_ **of you are getting** _ **any**_ **of his power."**

"You honestly think you can take all of us?" The colossal demon growled.

" **Oh, I** _ **know**_ **I can."** Pride/Raven chuckled. **"But** _ **I**_ **don't need to. They're yours now."**

The demon's reaction to the Spectre revealing himself was nothing less than a Kodiak moment, so great was their shock. But it didn't last long.

"A quarter of Father's power to the one who brings me the Spectre's head!" Disonisus roared. Six hundred and sixty three demons surged forward simultaneously, eager for blood, glory, and power.

The Spectre merely smiled before a pulse of white energy blasted outwards from him in all directions. The weakest of the demons were instantly disintegrated, their bodies turning to dust and fading from existence. The stronger ones were blown off their feet and sending tumbling dozens of feet away. The strongest of the demons, Disonisus and those close to his strength, were knocked back.

With a roar that shook the very air, Disonisus spat out a billowing white flame that enveloped the Spectre instantly. More demons joined this fiery onslaught, submerging the wrath of God in temperatures that even _demons_ couldn't handle without some serious magical assistance.

When another pulse of white energy blasted outwards, the stronger demons disintegrated and the strongest demons where blown off their feet. Roaring once more, Disonisus leapt up and bounded forward to bring his fists crashing down upon the Spectre.

With bated breath Beast Boy and Raven (who was, thankfully, unaffected by the Spectre's bizarre attack) watched this clash of power. In her condition, Raven didn't have the power to fight all these demons, especially since more than a few weren't too far below their father in strength. She could feed what power she had to Garfield through their bond, but then she couldn't defend herself.

" **Is that** _ **all**_ **the power that you possess?"**

Disonisus glared down at the entity before him, who appeared to be completely unfazed by his attack. "No, but I do believe I shall cease toying with you now."

" **Too bad, you had your chance."** The Spectre placed a glowing white hand on the demon's arm. Said limb immediately began to disintegrate, causing the hellish being to rear back howling. He lashed his foot out, intent on kicking the Spectre to the nearest star.

With a cry of surprise, Disonisus toppled over as his leg disintegrated.

Wordlessly, the Spectre approached the head of his fallen foe.

"You are disrupting the balance!" The demon spat. "You will disrupt the entire multiverse by killing us! The Lords of Chaos and Order will-"

" **They will do** _ **nothing**_ **because the balance will** _ **not**_ **be disrupted."** The Spectre interrupted. **"The price has already been paid to keep it balanced."**

Before Disonisus could reply, another pulse from the silvery man's hands enveloped him and the demon was no more. The remaining demons surged forward, hoping to catch the Spectre with his guard down.

Within minutes, the only ones remaining were Beast Boy, Raven, and the Spectre.

" _Now_ do you see why I told you to stop arguing with the demigod?" Raven asked in a hushed voice. Her love nodded dumbly, suddenly feeling very frightened and amazed that he had actually done so. _When_ he had done it he had been more frustrated than anything, just so sick and tired of all the bad things that had happened to them. But now? Well, he was grateful the Spectre hadn't blasted him for being mouthy.

Said entity turned towards them. **"And now for my half of the bargain."**

Both teens tensed visibly as he approached them. He said nothing, but held out his hand. Raven tenderly reached out and the tiny soul fluttered out of his grasp into hers. She brought it in close and gazed into it, feeling the same warmth that was once housed in her own body. A tear slid down her cheek as Gar hugged her.

"We did it." He whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from the glowing essence.

Raven nodded, then looked up at the Spectre. "What about the body?"

" **We will address that in a moment."** The silvery man said plainly. **"But first… I wish to know what you will trade for** _ **this**_ **."**

Both teens stared at him in complete confusion as he held out his other hand, another small glowing soul cradled gently betwixt his fingers.

"What's that?" Garfield asked.

The Spectre raised an eyebrow at him. **"The other child?"**

"What other child?" Raven asked, a sense of panic forming in her stomach.

" **The other child you were carrying? The twin to the one in your hand?"**

"I wasn't pregnant with twins…" Raven started to say before a powerful sense of guilt popped up in the back of her mind.

 _Pride?_ She mentally called out. _Do you have any idea what he's talking about?_

 _ **Well…n-not really, no…**_

 _Pride! What-_

" **How about you have that conversation where the rest of us can hear it?"** The Spectre took a step forward and placed both hands on her head. She gave a little gasp as he started to pull in opposite directions.

Imagine Garfield's surprise when the blood red-cloaked Pride was pulled from Raven, their bodies flowing apart seamlessly like flowing water.

Raven hit the ground hard and immediately curled up into a ball, gasping in pain. Pride did the same thing as Garfield rushed to Raven. His other side was fighting him to check on _her_ other side, so he picked Raven and carried her over to the demoness. He lay Raven face to face with Pride and the two stared at each other in shock.

"What did you do to me?" Raven whispered aloud

" **I separated your human and demon halves so that we could all participate in this conversation."** The Spectre replied.

" **That hurt like a** _ **motherfucker."**_ Pride groaned. **"How about you put me back in and we forget this happened?"**

" **How about no?"**

"Pride." Raven said suddenly as she sat up and pointed towards the Spectre's reopened hand. " _What. Is. That?!_ "

" **That would be the other child we were pregnant with."** The demoness said in a low, defeated tone. She knew there was no way out of this.

" _What. Other. Child?!"_ Raven growled as she grabbed her other half by the collar of her leotard and pulled her close.

" **The one that I was hiding from you and, more importantly, Beast."** Pride said this plainly, no remorse whatsoever in her voice.

" _WHY WOULD YOU HIDE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"_

" **Because it would have made him happy to know that he sired not one, but** _ **two**_ **offspring."** Pride shrugged her way out of Raven's grasp. **"To be honest, Raven, that was a** _ **really**_ **stupid question to ask. Beast is Gar's primal side, his instincts. Instincts like that are hunt, eat, mate, and to protect his territory. For him to know he was going to be the father of** _ **two**_ **cubs would have taken him to levels of happiness most people could never** _ **dream**_ **of reaching. I wanted to give that to him because** _ **he**_ **makes** _ **me**_ **happy. He gave me purpose after spending so much time alone. How could I not repay him?"**

Raven stared at her demon half for a long moment before sighing. "I…I suppose I can understand that. But how did you keep it from _me?_ I did the sonograms, the tests, _everything_. I didn't look like I was carrying twins. How did you do it?"

" **I formed a sort of pocket dimension inside of us and placed the baby in there, magically, around the time it would have become obvious that we were carrying two. Then I used my power to shield both children from view, with the other child obviously using more of my strength."**

Raven shook her head. "But that doesn't-"

" **Raven."** Pride interrupted. **"We have the power to take down a multidimensional millennia old demonic tyrant. What on Earth, Heaven, or Hell makes you think it would take** _ **all**_ **of our power to hide** _ **one**_ **child from prying eyes? That little psycho bitch with the swords? We would have crushed her. Joker and his goons? Sent straight to hell, first class. Atomic Skull? Yeah, his ass would have been dead too. Shit, why do you think I wanted more people around? The more allies we had present then the less power I had to use because enemies would have had to have gone through them to get to us! For crying out loud, Gar climaxed inside us more than a dozen times** _ **the first night we lay together!**_ **You** _ **honestly**_ **think that would have resulted in only** _ **one child?!"**_

Raven had no answer, but Pride continued to speak anyways. **"That became a bit of a moot point anyways. The thing is, Raven, is that you would have known the moment we woke up from the healing trance during the attack. I was using everything I had left to heal us,** _ **including**_ **what I had been using to hide the child in the pocket dimension. It was** _ **inside our body**_ **when we were impaled on the rebar."**

The empath stared at her demon side in absolute horror. "Why didn't the Justice League tell me?"

" **Because you were already traumatized beyond belief."** The Spectre said softly. **"They believed that telling you that you lost** _ **two**_ **children would have sent you over the edge completely."**

" **Why do you think Grief was so powerful?"** Pride said quietly to her human half. **"I couldn't hide it from the others after it happened and she overwhelmed us without batting an eyelash."**

"You know I haven't spoken to Grief yet." The empath murmured softly. "But…if the others had told me then it would have been feeding her power before I could subdue her…so…that does make sense."

She glanced at Gar, who was standing there with his mouth open, utterly shocked beyond comprehension. Raven had secretly been carrying _twins_? He had been scared of being a father to _one_ , but now he had to father _two?_

"Gar?" His love called out softly.

"I-I'm here, Rae." He stammered, stumbling over his words. "I just…hell, I don't know what to say."

"Well…" Raven trailed off for a moment before she grimaced. "Do…do you want it?"

His jaw dropped even lower. "What?! Of course I want it, it's ours!"

"What do we have left to trade?" She asked both him and her demon half. The changeling frowned in thought, but the demoness responded immediately.

" **Just one thing."** She said softly. Both Raven and Garfield looked at her and she sighed. **"Me."**

"No _fucking_ way." Gar said immediately. "I'm not letting him take you Rae."

" **Not Raven, you idiot."** Pride shook her head. **"Me. Pride. The demon half of Raven."**

"Call yourself what you want, yer still Raven!" The changeling shook his own head furiously.

" **Gar-"**

"No means no!"

Pride rolled her eyes. **"I swear, Gar, you're such a pain in my ass."**

The changeling stuck his tongue out as Raven looked at her demon half. "You…you would do that?"

" **It goes against the principles of being a demon, yeah. But…I want my babies back. I am you and you are me, so giving the demonic side of us, me, would leave the human side to raise our children."** Pride glanced at the Spectre. **"Besides, I think the only other thing we could have offered was a certain book that we sacrificed a bit ago. But I don't regret that."**

" **Pride would be correct, the dragon's book would have been acceptable. That** _ **particular**_ **dragon had been running from me for a few centuries, so his fate would have been the same either way."** The Spectre nodded. **"I was aware that you were intelligent, but you exceeded my expectations in reasoning that your demonic side is of equivalent value to a pure unborn soul."**

"Pride…are you sure about this?" Raven asked quietly.

The demoness nodded. **"Can you think of anything else to trade him? So much of our stuff was destroyed that we barely even had clothes to wear. We lost almost all of our magical items as well. All we have left is the mirror, that old cloak, that one stone, and that ancient wand. So…yes. I can and will do this."**

Raven nodded slowly. Those four particular items, while powerful, wouldn't interest someone who guards the balance between good and evil. The red cloaked girl inhaled deeply before turning to the silvery man. **"Alright, I-"**

" _NO._ "

Both Raven and Pride jerked around to find Gar standing there grasping his head in his hands. One of his eyes was white while the other was alternating between his emerald orb and wild white. His teeth were bared, ears laid back, and a growl rumbling from his chest.

" **That appears to be…interesting."** The Spectre commented.

" **Beast-"** Pride started, but was interrupted by a snarl.

" _NO."_

" **Do** _ **not**_ **tell me what I can and cannot do, Beast."** The demoness growled back at him. Garfield/Beast snarled once more before the changeling lost control and the animal took over. The sounds of bones cracking and regrowing, muscle and sinew tearing and reforming, and flesh splitting before reknitting itself back together fill the air for three heartbeats. The Beast then loomed over them, his wild white eyes blazing with his primal fury.

" _He-Who-Watches-All cannot have my mate!_ " He roared.

" **Beast!"** Pride raged back at him as darkness billowed out around her, enlarging her form to match his size. **"There is no other way to get our children back! I** _ **must**_ **go!"**

The Beast slammed his clawed fists into the floor/not floor and snarled once more. " _No! Mate goes nowhere without Beast!_ "

This statement caused quite a hiccup in Pride's mind, which was reflected when she spoke. **"…do what?"**

"Mate heard Beast. Beast goes with mate."

The demoness shrunk to her original size, a scowl on her face. **"Don't be stupid, you're not going."**

"Beast is."

" **Are not."**

"Beast _is._ "

" _ **No**_ **, you is not."** Pride growled, gritting her teeth after realizing she spoke like him. This nearly caused her to bite her tongue off when she jumped in surprise after the Beast slammed his fists down on either side of her and roared right in her face. She wasn't frightened of him per say, but the idea that she had actually made her mate mad deflated the aspect inside herself in which she was named after. They hadn't fought or argued once after bonding (not a _real_ argument anyways), so this feeling of anger towards _her_ was quite shocking.

Pride would have never admitted it if asked, but she actually _wilted_ in the face of his fury.

She looked at her mate in a mixture of disbelief, shock, and fear from her new position on the floor, where she had stumbled back and fell right on her butt. The Beast seethed above her, a line of drool dripping from his scowling muzzle.

" _Beast. Goes. With. Mate."_ He growled once more.

" **You can't."** The demoness said in a small quavering voice.

" _Beast can and will."_

She shook her head. **"You don't understand Beast. I'm not going to** _ **exist**_ **anymore. I** _ **have**_ **to do this so that the babies will live. I can't take you with me."**

"Beast gets tired of repeating self." The behemoth huffed.

" **No!"** Pride shouted up at him, her voice cracking. **"Why can't you understand?!** _ **I won't exist anymore!**_ **"**

"Then Beast will not exist with you."

" **That's not how it works you damned idiot! We won't be** _ **anything! Nothing! No eating, no drinking, no videogames, no comics, no hunting, no Cyborg, no Starfire, no Robin, no me, no you, NOTHING! JUST A COLD, DARK, AND EMPTY SLUMBER FROM WHICH WE WILL NEVER AWAKEN!"**_ Pride shouted at him frantically. She couldn't let this happen, she loved him too much to-

"Then Beast will sleep with you." He said in a soft, affectionate growl, throwing her off completely. The demoness stared up at him, her voice lost as she realized just _what_ he was saying. It was many minutes before a single blood red tear trailed down from an upper eye.

" **Why?"** She asked in a broken tone. **"Why would you do that? I'm just a demon. It's perfectly fine if I don't exist. But you? You're strong and good, the perfect guardian and the most loyal companion to anyone who needs one. You would give all of that up…for me?"**

The Beast leaned down and nuzzled her head. " _You are my mate_. Beast made the mistake of leaving you alone once before. Beast will _NEVER_ do that again."

More crimson tears followed the first one. **"But-"**

He placed a black clawed finger on her lips as he looked her in the eye. "Beast will… _I…_ will follow you into the dark _…forever."_

The demoness bowed her head and tried to stem the tide of tears pouring from her four eyes. **"You're stupid, you know that right? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!"**

The Beast let out a little woof as his form of chuckling before looking up at the Spectre. "Make big Beast and little Beast as you did make our mate in two."

The Spectre, who had been viewing this whole spectacle in amazement, took a moment before answering. **"You understand this will hurt…right?"**

"Beast does _not_ fear pain, He-Who-Watches-All". The green behemoth snorted. "But He-Who-Watches-All had better return cubs to Little Beast and hooman mate or Beast _will_ return."

The Spectre said nothing in response before he placed a hand on the Beasts chest. He pushed hard against his chest, his hand passing into and through the giant creature. As his limb exited the creature on the other side, a very different looking Garfield came stumbling _out_ of the back of the Beast. He immediately collapsed and Raven, who had silently watched the whole exchange, rushed towards him. In her arms he curled up into a ball, whimpering. The Beast stood still as stone, a low growl rumbling out from him as the only indication that he was in pain.

" **You're so stupid."** Pride wrapped her arms around the Beasts neck do that he could lift her up. Before turning to face the Spectre, she quickly wiped her face of any remaining tears.

" **Are you ready?"** The silvery man asked quietly.

The demoness looked up at her mate and he nodded. She turned and faced the godlike being before them as the Beast knelt down and wrapped his huge arms around her protectively. **"We are."**

As the Spectre placed a hand on Pride's head and one on the Beast's head, the demoness glanced up at her mate. **"I love you Beast."**

"And I, you, my mate." He replied as he gripped her tighter. The Spectre looked them in the eye one at a time and nodded.

Unlike the disintegration the demons were subjected to, Pride and the Beast simply became transparent. They began to shrink and fade away until they were nothing more than tiny wisps of light in the Spectre's hands. Pride was a red/blue and the Beast was green/red. The Spectre gazed into his hands at the souls before him.

" **Never before have I seen a demon weep."** He murmured to himself. **"How curious."**

"Hey! You got what you want, now give us the other kid and their bodies!" Garfield croaked, his body shuddering in pain.

The Spectre's hands closed and dipped onto his cloak. A moment later one came back out, a tiny glowing light in it. He approached the teens and held it out to them. Raven reached out and he dropped it into her waiting hand. She pulled it close and cradled it to her chest, the other soul covered protectively in Gar's right hand.

" **You do understand that** _ **this**_ **will hurt even more, right?"** The wrath of God asked them, a bit of concern creeping into his voice. The two exchanged glances, then looked to him and nodded.

" **Very well. We shall begin."**

Spectre pulled the glove from his right hand, revealing clawed digits not unlike Garfield's. It was a curious sight, but it was pulled from their minds as he knelt down and pulled their free hands towards him. Without warning he scratched both of their palms, leaving deep and bloody gauges in their flesh. Both grimaced in pain but said nothing as he waved the unclothed hand over theirs. Within seconds the blood began to flow _upwards_ towards his, spiraling around it. A sudden pain from their heads caused both to flinch as telekinetically plucked hairs raced towards the strange blood conglomeration before them.

"Dude, what are you-" Gar started to ask before his entire body flinched and his face screwed up.

"Gar, what-" Raven too started to ask before there was a weird squirming sensation in her lower abdomen. It seemed to travel around inside her before exiting from her lower body. A miniscule glowing light came out of her pants leg and flew towards the blood and hair mixture. A similar glowing light shot out of Garfield's pant leg and the two settled in the center of the strange mixture and seemingly combined.

"What the heck did you do, dude?"

" **I required a seed and egg from your changed bodies to ensure that the children would be like you as opposed to what they used to be."**

"Whoddahadawhatamuss to the what what now?" The boy asked in slight confusion.

The Spectre ignored him and looked at Raven. **"** _ **This**_ **is where the pain starts. I suggest finding something to hold onto."**

"-AND _THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AND UTTERLY IRRESPONSIBLE!"_

Robin stood stock still, praying that Batman didn't see his slight trembling as the older hero yelled at him. The boy wonder had been on the receiving end of the greatest ass-chewing of all times for the past thirty minutes. If it went on any longer he might not be able to stop himself from crying.

It wasn't _his_ fault that he didn't know that the Justice League had classified the Spectre as an SSSSS-rank threat.

But that didn't matter to the dark knight. All that mattered was that they, the Teen Titans and the Doom Patrol, had drawn the entity's attention to Earth and, even worse, attempted to travel through time. If the teens had used a bit more thinking instead of feeling, they would have found out that the Spectre might just _destroy the whole goddamned planet_ to protect the timestream.

Needless to say, Robin almost dropped to his knees and started thanking God when the Spectre reappeared.

When Batman turned to face the Wrath of God, Robin _really did_ drop to his knees and pray.

"Spectre." Batman said in a low, cautious tone.

" **Batman."** The Spectre replied with a slight nod and a wary glance. He wasn't particularly fond of the dark knight, who always knew much more than he let on. It made the entity slightly nervous, not that he would ever tell anyone that.

"Beast Boy and Raven?" The dark knight asked, glancing down at the Spectre's cloak, which was covering two human-sized lumps on the floor.

The Spectre said nothing as he pulled back his garment. There were a multitude of gasps.

"Friend Raven is with child again! And friend Beast Boy is-"

"Yo! What the hell did you do to my lil sis and bro?!"

"Uhh…Wally, does Raven look a little…different?"

"A bit, but heck, look at BB!"

"What did you do to my kids?!"

"Not much of a grass stain anymore, huh?"

" **Calm yourselves."** The Spectre said in a whisper that sounded more kin to thunder. The room quietened and he proceeded to speak. **"We made a deal. That is all."**

"A strange sort of deal, it seems." Batman commented as he knelt down to inspect the unconscious teens.

" **It is a strange existence we live in."** The silvery man replied as he stepped back. The Titans swarmed forward and gathered up their friends. They were rushed to the medbay, followed by a very anxious Doom Patrol. Batman and Spectre trailed behind them and halted in the doorway.

"What did you do to them?" Batman asked quietly.

" **We traded. Blood for blood, in a sense."**

"That was a lot more than blood that they gave up."

The Spectre shrugged. **"True, but it was not required. It was an option."**

"No it wasn't. You knew they'd take it to get the children back."

" **Perhaps."** Spectre shrugged. **"Truthfully, it was quite curious how she even became pregnant. Half demons are sterile by nature. And the changeling's DNA is the epitome of instability. It was a miracle that they even bonded."**

"A miracle generally has a something do with higher powers intervening in a mortal's life." Batman turned his head from the sight of Cyborg running scans on his friends and stared at the Spectre. "Did _you_ have anything to do with that?"

The silver man shrugged once more. **"For what purpose would I do such a thing? It would not benefit me to do so."**

"I see."

" **Of course, it** _ **was**_ **mildly amusing to watch this so called 'Beast' run around killing criminals."** The Spectre smiled darkly. **"It was quite efficient, if I may say so."**

Batman quirked an eyebrow at him. "You were watching that?"

Spectre nodded. **"Naturally. I watched everything, including the little reunion the two of them had. It was…something else."**

"Yes, it was. Like how Garfield _miraculously_ regained control of his mentality at the last moment."

The Wrath of God glanced at the dark knight beside him, wonder just how much the other man knew. When he spoke, it was slowly. **"Yes, that was quite lucky."**

" _Don't_ bullshit me, Spectre." Batman said darkly. "I _know_ your hand is in this somehow. I want to know _why._ "

It was a long while before the Spectre spoke, but when he did it sent shivers down Batman's' spine.

" **The only thing I will tell you, Bruce, is that there are** _ **no such things**_ **as accidents."**

 _The End  
_

* * *

 ** _OKAY, NOW HOLD ON JUST A MOMENT BEFORE YOU PICK UP YER PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES. I HAVE REASONS FOR THIS.  
_**

 ** _Yes, that means you too Sicarius, put it down._**

 ** _Okay, now that I have your attention, there are things that I have to say. Let me start with the most important thing._**

 ** _This story wasn't supposed to be longer than 10 chapters. Yes, you read that correctly. Only ten chapters of this story was planned initially. Everything else was ad-libbed as needed. With that being said, it actually made it more difficult for me to plan things out and connect them together because I threw extra stuff in/extended things for longer than originally intended. It wore me out and I honestly have no more content for it._**

 ** _Second most important thing._**

 ** _This isn't the original ending for this story. The original ended the story quite abruptly and left far more questions than answers (not this this one is much better lol). It also had an epilogue that answered a good number of those questions._**

 ** _Third: There WILL be an epilogue. And most likely a side story involving the Spectre._**

 ** _Fourth: There was an alternate ending (different from the original ending), which I discussed at length with two other writers, which had Raven being thrown back in time to the beginning of the Titans as punishment by the Spectre. I greatly pondered it and decided I didn't really want to go through the heartbreak of this story again, even if I could bring a better ending about quicker. Besides, time travel is a pain in the ass._**

 ** _Fifth: This story was not the original story I had planned to write when I started on this site. But I felt rusty at writing, so I made this as my prototype of sorts. This story was nothing more than practice, to be honest._**

 ** _I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people mad at me now...but that's okay. I went far beyond what I intended with Accidents Can Happen and I'm happy with it (so to speak)._**

 ** _Besides...you guys/gals are gonna love the epilogue._**


	26. Epilogue

_**Well my dear readers, here we are. The final piece to this long story. Its rather short, but it addresses the most important issue:**_ _ **How did things turn out for everyone's favorite couple?**_

 _ **The answer?**_

 _ **Well... You'll have to read to find out.**_

 _ **Also, I'd like to address two things. One, Allen Blaster was the only one to get the Harry Potter reference in the previous chapter. Granted, I asked him if he thought anyone noticed and he was very confused at first... Until he realized what I was talking about lol.**_

 _ **Secondly, I decided to leave everyone a surprise at the end of the chapter.**_

 ** _*evil laughter*_**

* * *

"But mommy, I do not wish to go to this school of pre! You and daddy won't be there, neither will my knorfka Victor!" A little girls voice rang out in the early morning.

It was a peaceful and quiet morning in Jump City. The fall had just begun and while Mar'i Grayson was quite happy to be flying with her mother, Princess Koriand'r of the planet Tamaran, she was most certainly not happy about being away from them.

"Hush now, my bumgorf. I waited this long so that you may begin the schooling with a friend." Starfire gently chided her child. She loved her daughter dearly, but the young half-alien child was in desperate need for a friend. Earthling children, while fascinated with her, kept her at arms length. It hurt the little raven haired, green eyed girl far more than she let on that people were afraid of her. But that would change soon.

"A friend?" The girl perked up as she lazily flew a loop-de-loop around her mother. "Who?"

Starfire smiled. "The bumgorf of dear friends of mine, ones I have not seen since you were born."

The little girl's eyes grew wide. "Really?"

"Of course." The heroine replied, nostalgia filling her eyes. "They were and still are the closest of my friends. We faced several Rekmas together and triumphed over each one."

Mar'i flew up closer to her mother, questions flowing from her like a river into the ocean "What kind of bumgorf is it? A boy or a girl? I hope it's a boy, I bet he'd play games with me and go to the park with me wouldn't he? Do I know these people? Are they my Auntie and Uncle too? How-"

"Calm yourself, my child!" Starfire laughed. "You will meet him soon enough!"

The little girl never heard her mother at all and kept right on talking. Starfire couldn't wipe the grin from her face at the excitement of her daughter. She knew the two children would be fast friends.

"Mommy!" Mar'i called out some time later. "We're here!"

Before Starfire could say anything, the raven haired girl shot into the small throng of children. There were squeals of surprise as Mar'i recognized several from the park and greeted them. Other children were in awe of the floating child. Many parents stared at her warily, only to nod respectively when her mother landed amongst them. Starfire greeted them warmly, just as she did the teachers. There were a number of people who weren't particularly pleased that the child of superhero's would be attending a school with their own children, but they remained quiet.

Even though it had been many years since the incident, few had forgotten how the alien princess had ripped apart Atomic Skull.

Mar'i reappeared as Star began speaking to the teacher who would be over her daughter.

"Mooommmyyy!" She cried. "Who am I looking for?"

"Hush now, my bumgorf, I will show them to you when they arrive." Star said gently. Pouting, the little girl floated off as her mother turned back to the teacher.

"I knew you'd be here in the center of this happy little maelstrom." A voice called out seconds later. The alien princess whipped around with a huge smile and practically pounced on the speaker.

"You are here! You have returned home at last!" She cried out, a few joyful tears trailing down her face.

"Of course Star. I told you we wouldn't be gone forever. This is our home."

"Where is…?" Star asked, looking around.

"He's off chasing our son, who saw a frog and took off after it."

"And-?"

"Them too."

Starfire smiled once more. "It is good to have you home, sister."

"It's good to be home." Came the happy reply.

* * *

Mar'i floated around the little yard for several minutes, looking for anyone who stood out. There was all sorts of children there; whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanic, and several with dark hair and eyes that she didn't know. But none of them really popped out to her. Most just stood in awe as she floated about, tugging on their parents clothes, pointing at her and talking excitedly. But they weren't who she was looking for. When she _did_ find him, she hesitated.

The big ol' frog in his arms didn't look happy.

Judging from the boys' tears, he wasn't happy either.

"Mommy?" He called out, his eyes teary.

Mar'i inspected him from above. He had short dirty blond hair, a couple of freckles on his nose, and the most beautiful blue green eyes she'd ever seen. His green shirt and blue shorts were muddy, obviously from chasing the squirming frog clutched tightly against his chest.

The little alien girl couldn't help but to fly down to him.

"Hi!" She said as she landed.

He didn't seem phased the least bit by her flying as he rubbed a tear away. "Hi."

"Did you lose your mommy?" Mar'i asked, eyeballing the frog.

The boy nodded. "Uh huh. I saw Mr. Frawg and wanted to show my daddy but I losted him."

The superhero blood in her veins kicked in as she spoke with a grin. "I'll help you find them! My name is Mar'i! What's your name?"

He sniffled. "My name is Oli."

Mar'i reached out and took a frog free hand. She turned and started forward, a huge grin on her face. They walked about five feet before two voices called out.

"Oli!"

"There you are!"

The two children turned around to find two more kids. They looked exactly the same, except that one had a left blue, right green eye and the other had a left green, right blue eye. Their short dirty blond hair and big smiles told Mar'i right away that they were related to Oli, but they must have been ten years old.

Oli perked up immediately. "Heathcliff! Felix! Look, I got a frawg!"

"Duuuuude!" Both boys exclaimed as they darted forward to look. The poor amphibian tried so very hard to escape and failed miserably.

As the boys sat there jabbering away, Mar'i stood quietly to the side. Oli noticed after a moment and pointed at her. "Hey, hey! That girl, Mary, was gonna help me look for chu guys and mommy and daddy!"

Both boys turned in unison, smiling. "Coooool!"

Mar'i smiled back at them, floated into the air and bowed like her mother did at big events. "My name is _Mar'i_ and its nice to meet you!"

"Dude, you can fly!" One boy exclaimed. "My name is Felix!"

"That's so coooollll!" The other jumped up and down. "I'm Heathcliff!"

Mar'I made a mental note that Heathcliff's left eye was green while Felix's was blue as she floated a little higher. "Let me see if I can find my mommy, she can find your mommy and daddy!"

"Pft, we got this." The twins scoffed. Then they both inhaled deeply and shouted as loudly as they could. "DAAAAAD! OLI TRIPPED AGAIN!"

"I DID NOT!" The youngest boy shouted at them.

"What did I tell you boys about tattling on your brother?" An man's voice called out. The four children turned and found the boy's father coming towards them. His dirty blond hair looked slightly frazzled, his face wore a slight scowl, and his pretty green eyes were worried. His khaki shirts had a grass stain, as did his left leg. He looked a tad irritated, if anything.

"Told ya!" Felix giggled.

"Works every time!" Heathcliff nudged Mar'i. She giggled.

"Awww, come on Oli! We just bought you these clothes dude!" The boys' father signed. "Yer mom is gonna flip."

"About what?" A female voice spoke up from behind him. The man cringed and shot his son an apologetic look.

"I…uh…couldn't catch him in time." The man said guiltily as he stood and turned to a long black haired woman with very blue eyes. The woman scowled at him but sighed at her child. Mar'i watched her reach into a small backpack she was carrying and pull out a shirt and pair of shorts for her son.

"Good thing _one of us_ is prepared." She snorted.

"Hey hey hey!" The man replied indignantly. "I am _very_ prepared, thank you! I packed their lunches and got us here way ahead of schedule!"

"Yes, and it would have been an admirable job if you hadn't of given Oli the peanut butter sandwich. You know, the one he's _allergic_ to?"

"Hey! Its not my fault that their lunchbox's all look the same!"

"That's because they all have paper bags, dearest."

The man fakely glared at her. "Who's fault is that?!"

The woman crossed her arms and returned his glare. " _Yours_. _You_ are the one who forgot which box their lunch boxes are packed in."

"Don't sass me, woman!"

Her glare darkened just a bit. "And just _what_ are you going to do about it?"

An evil grin split the young man's face before he darted forward. The woman only had time for a single yelp before she was picked up and slung over his shoulder. Laughing, the man spun the both of them a few times before pausing in front of his sons.

"Now boys, what happens when you sass mommy or daddy?" He asked, ignoring his wife's increasingly angry shouting.

"We get in trouble!" The twins giggled.

"I dun wanna get yelled at." Oli mumbled, ducking behind his brothers. The man just laughed.

"That's right boys! That means mommy is in trouble too! What should her punishment be?"

"I swear to God, if you don't put me down-" The woman started to say before her husband jolted his shoulder upwards.

"Take her books away for a week!" Heathcliff shouted gleefully.

"Don't be mean to mommy!" Oli protested as he peeked between his brothers.

"Spank her!" Felix shouted at the same time as his twin.

"Now _that_ sounds like an idea!" The man chuckled. The woman stiffened for about two seconds before redoubling her efforts to break free. The man's smile tripled in size and mischievousness before he pulled his free hand back and landed a nice smack right on his wife's ass. The woman yelped in pain before she finally snapped.

"GARFEILD MARK LOGAN, IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT YOU WILL _LITERALLY_ SLEEP IN THE DOG HOUSE FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS!" She shouted into his ear.

He set her down instantly and cringed in the face of her fury. "Come on Rae, I was just-"

" _Don't_." She hissed at him. He shushed immediately and stood there with his hands in his pocket, staring at the ground. The woman, known as Raven Logan, turned to her sons.

"Heathcliff Alexander Logan, Felix Arnold Logan, _you two_ should know better than that. I do not tolerate misbehavior inside or outside our home. That _includes_ egging your father on." She said sternly. Both boys stared at the ground shamefully as she turned to her youngest son. "And _you_ , Oliver Anthony Logan…come here and get changed, your class is starting soon."

The three in trouble stood there quietly as the youngest was quickly changed into clean clothes. Mar'i floated nearby, eyeing the Logan's curiously. Garfield and Rae? Those names almost sounded like…

"Oh!" She gasped. "You're Auntie Raven and Uncle Gar!"

Raven turned and looked at the floating child, a small smile on her face. "That's right. We haven't seen you since you were born."

"Mommy's told me a gazillion stories about you!" Mar'i gushed excitedly. "Like when you fought Mumbo Jumbo and the Hive Five and-"

"Alright Mar'i, settle down." Raven laughed. "We'll come by soon enough and catch up. Your mother got called away for a car chase, so I'll take you to class."

"Does that mean they're my cousins?!" The little alien girl almost shouted, pointing to the boys.

"Something like that." Raven said amusedly. She took her youngest son by the shoulders and gently pushed him in front of Mar'i. "This is Oliver, he's a couple of months younger than you, so he's in your class. He's a sweet but shy boy. Will you be his first friend in his new home here in Jump City?"

"Are you kidding?!" Mar'i shouted happily, making the boy smile. "I gonna be his bestest friend in whole world!"

* * *

"She seems like a sweet kid." Garfield remarked as he and Raven got into their car. The former empath merely grunted in response, clearly still angry about earlier. Heathcliff and Felix strapped themselves in in the back seat quietly, their bookbags sliding to the floor with a slight jangle of zippers. Garfield signed as he started the car.

The ride to the school their older sons were going to was quiet, despite the obvious excitement displayed on the twins faces. Five years ago they had moved away because their dad got an offer to work as the head chef for a huge casino. The money was too good to pass up, so the boys had been forced to say goodbye to their friends.

Five years later and the boys almost couldn't sit still.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the school and did the paperwork required. The twins ran to the room their class would be in, eager to see their friends again.

They weren't disappointed.

Not too long after that, Raven and Garfield had returned to the car. While the black haired woman had been all smiles in the school, she made it quite obvious that she was _still_ mad at her husband. Halfway to the house, Garfield finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry Rae. I got carried away again. Will you forgive me?" He said quietly, as if he didn't want other people to hear. Which was silly, it was just them in the car.

"Put our song on and I'll think about it." Raven huffed. "And I want a foot rub."

Garfield chuckled and popped a CD into the radio. Three clicks later and their song started.

 _I was given wine_

 _We're feeling okay_

 _And quite all right_

 _You wash my tears away_

 _And make me wanna stay_

 _And bonfires lit up the shores_

 _Walk far far away_

 _To go beside you_

 _Is where I want to be_

 _Walk far far away_

 _To laugh, to love_

* * *

Unbeknownst to any there, let alone anyone on _the whole planet_ , a cloaked figure had stood in the midst of the maelstrom of children and their parents at the preschool. He was impossibly tall and his dark green cloak hid his silver grey skin. He had stood there silently, taking in everything he saw and many things his other senses told him about. Even though he had more important things to do, the Spectre couldn't help but to be there to relive the day he first met his best friend.

She made him smile, just as she had done so the first time all those years ago.


End file.
